Effects of Bordetella avium on lymphoid tissue monoamine concentrations in turkey poults

Six hours post-hatch, large white turkey poults were inoculated intranasally with 5 x 10(7) cells of the W isolate of Bordetella avium. Three hours after inoculation and subsequently on days 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 postinoculation, poults from infected and control groups were killed by cervical dislocation. Thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius were removed, weighed, and frozen until assayed for norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5HT). B. avium infection caused a reduced concentration of NE, DA, and 5HT in the spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius. The reduced concentrations of these monoamines in lymphoid tissues of diseased poults may be a normal response during the course of a disease or during the mounting of an immune response.