Comparative nephropathogenicity of infectious bronchitis virus in bursectomized and nonbursectomized chickens

A study was conducted to compare the responses of bursectomized (Bx) and nonbursectomized (non-Bx) specific-pathogen-free male chickens to Australian T strain of infectious bronchitis virus. Four chickens from each group were killed at 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after conjunctival inoculation of the virus. Clinical signs and gross and microscopic lesions were more severe in Bx than in non-Bx chickens. The non-Bx chickens had linear IgG deposits along the renal tubules. Virus-neutralizing titers were log10 2.74 to 4.33 for non-Bx chickens and less than log10 1.25 for the inoculated Bx and for broth-inoculated Bx and non-Bx chickens (controls). Early in the disease, renal lesions were of the same type in all infected chickens, but were more severe in Bx chickens. Later, nephritis was chronic and active in Bx chickens and was chronic in non-Bx chickens.