Virus carryng and antibody formation in chicks of various Warren hybryd genotypes infected with the Marek's disease virus and gamma irradiated

The experiment was conducted with 144 male and 144 female chicks of the Warren hybrid. Chicks were hatched from eggs divided in four groups: nonirradiated, 0.15 Gy irradiated, 0.30 Gy irradiated and 0.6 Gy irradiated. The eggs were irradiated immediately prior to incubation with a radioactive 60Co source with dose rate 0.007 Gy/s, and radiation field 40 X 40 cm. Radiation distance was 150 cm and exposure time - 21, 43 and 87 s respectively. One day old chicks were infected intraabdominally with 0.4 cm3 whole-heparinized blood containing 5000 plaque units of a virulent strain of the virus. At the age of six weeks the alkaline phosphatase genotype of chicks was studied applying the method of Gaahne (1966). 12 pullets and 12 cockerels (each 3,5 months old) of the three genotypes were subjected to determination of the virus availability in the feathers follicles and the presence of specific antibodies in blood serum against the virus of Marek's disease. The agar gel precipitation method was used. It was established that the virus-carriyng and the specific formation of antibodies against Marek's disease in birds of the Warren hybrid depended on the dose of preincubation gamma irradiation, on the sex, and on the alkaline phosphatase genotype of birds. 4 figs.; 16 refs