Studies on Genetic and Vaccination-Induced Resistance of Chickens to Lymphoid Tumor Transplants 2. Transmissible Lymphoid Tumor of Olson

Abstract

Transmissible lymphoid tumor (TLT) was inoculated in the wing webs of 5 wk old chickens of 6 strains. About half of the chickens of each strain were vaccinated with turkey herpesvirus (HVT) 1 wk before challenge in the wing web with TLT. Tumors which developed at the site of inoculation usually reached maximum size within 2 wk and then regressed. In some chickens, tumors developed in visceral organs and caused death in the 2nd-5th wk postinoculation. Comparisons among strains of chickens in experiment 1 revealed no differences in mortality. Vaccination with HVT reduced mortality and also the incidence of wing web tumors (WWT) in all strains of chickens. A lymphoid leukosis virus and a Marek''s disease (MD) virus of low virulence were detected in preparations of TLT, and the immunity induced by vaccination may have been directed against tumor antigens associated with MD virus.