• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2001

Immunohistochemical and Electron Microscopical Studies on the Initial Skin Lesions Induced Experimentally by Very Virulent Strain of Marek\`s Disease Virus in Chickens Marek\`s disease virus (MDV), which is an avian herpesvirus, causes malignant CD3+CD4+CD8-T cell lymphomas at many sites including visceral organs, muscles, peripheral nerves and skin. In the early skin lesions induced by MDV, corelationship between the translational activity of MDV early gene, pp38 and demonstration of MDV particles in the lymphoid cells are not well studied. Therefore, skin biopsies taken at weekly intervals for 2 weeks from the same specific-pathogen free chicknes inoculated with Md/5 MDV were examined immunohistochemically and electron microscopically. In the skin biopsies sampled at 1 week and 2 weeks post inoculation (PI), feather follicle epithelium (FFE) exhibited usually strong positive reaction for pp38, whereas only few lymphoblasts, which were infiltrated around FFE revealed positive reaction. Electron microscopically, small lymphocytes were detectable in the dermis and subcutaneous skin tissues sampled at 1 week PI. The number of small lymphocytes was increased and pleomorphic lymphoblasts, which were medium to large in size were scattered among the small lymphocytes at 2 weeks PI. Some of lymphoblasts revealed degenerative and necrotic changes. FFE contained a lot of MDV particles in the nucleus including mature and immature ones. Infrequently, immature virus particles were observed not only in the degenerative and necrotic lymphoblasts, but also rarely in the health lymphoblasts. From the present results, spontaneous MDV activation including translational activity of MDV pp38 gene and formation of MDV particles was occurred in the lymphoblasts of early MD skin lesions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.679-684
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• 1996

This study evaluates the susceptibility of scaleless mutant chickens to very virulent Marek's disease virus (vvMDV) inoculation. One day old chickens were inoculated subcutaneously with Taiwanese isolates of LTB-1 and LTS-1 strains, and standard strain of Md/5. Compared with the non-inoculated group the vvMDV-inoculated chickens showed decreased body weights and atrophy of lymphoid organs before 35 days old. These results indicate that scaleless chickens show the same susceptibility as the wild type chickens to vvMDV infection. Furthermore, the protective effect of herpesvirus of turkey (HVT) vaccination at 1 day old against vvMDV challenge was evaluated. Scaleless mutant chickens of treated groups showed 20-30% early death, and 85.7-100% and 12.5-14.2% had lymphomatous lesions in visceral organs and peripheral nerves, respectively. No significant lesions were observed in non-challenged chickens of the control group. The HVT vaccination did not provide an effective protection against vvMDV infection. It is concluded that scaleless mutant chickens are susceptible to vvMDV infection.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.373-380
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• 2001

Marek's disease virus (MDV) can cause skin lesions including inflammatory to tumorous. The phenotypical changes of lymphocytes infiltrating in the skin lesions induced by MDV were not clear. Therefore, the skin biopsies taken at weekly intervals for 8 weeks from the same specific-pathogen free chickens inoculated with Md/5 MDV were examined to analysis the phenotypical changes of lymphocytes. Histologically skin lesions progressed from initial inflammatory to late tumorous. Sequentially CD4+ T lymphocytes increased gradually in number from initial skin lesions and were major composition cells in the tumor lesions. Regardless of inflammatory or tumor lesions, CD8+ T cells and ${\gamma}{\delta}$ T cells infiltrated particularly in the dermis and subcutaneous on which MDV was actively replicated in the feather follicle epithelium(FFE). In addition, IgG bearing B lymphocytes in considerable number infiltrated in the dermis and subcutaneous tissues. From these results, the development of MDV-induced skin lesions was inflammatory following tumorous. In addition, each CD8+, ${\gamma}{\delta}$ and CD4+ T cells and B cell might act to protect MDV replication in the FFE or tumor cells which turned on lytic cycle.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.39-55
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• 2008

Like the other herpesviruses, the virion of MDV consists of an envelope, which surrounds an amorphous tegument. Within the tegument, and icosahedral capsid encloses a linear double-stranded DNA core. Although the genome structure of MDV indicates that it is an ${\alpha}-herpesvirus$ like herpes simplex and varicella-zoster viruses, biological properties indicate MDV is more akin to the ${\gamma}-herpesvirus$ group, which includes Epstein-Barr and Kaposi's sarcoma herpesviruses. These herpesviruses replicate lytically in lymphocytes, epithelial and fibroblastic cells, and persist in lymphoblastoid cells. MDV has a complex life cycle and uses two means of replication, productive and non-productive, to exist and propagate. The method of reproduction changes according to a defined pattern depending on changes in virus-cell interactions at different stages of the disease, and in different tissues. Productive (lytic) interactions involve active invasion and take-over of the host cell, resulting in the production of infectious progeny virions. However, some herpesviruses, including MDV, can also establish a non-productive (abortive) infection in certain cell types, resulting in production of cell-associated progeny virus. Non-productive interactions represent persistent infection, in which the viral genome is present but gene expression is limited, there is no structural or regulatory gene translation, no replication, no release of progeny virions and no cell death. Reactivation of the virus is rare, and usually the infectious virus can be re-isolated only after cultivation in vitro. MDV establishes latency in lymphoid cells, some of which are subsequently transformed. In this review article, recent knowledges of the pathogenesis mechanisms followed by MDV infection to sensitive cells and chickens are discussed precisely.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2007

Marek's disease (MD) is caused by a ubiquitous, lymphotropic alphaherpesvirus, MD virus (MDV). MD has been a major concern in the poultry industry due to the emergence of increasingly virulent strains over the last few decades that were isolated in the face of comprehensive vaccination. MD is characterized by a variety of clinical signs, amongst them neurological symptoms, chronic wasting, and most notably the development of multiple lymphomas that manifest as solid tumors in the viscera and musculature. Much work has been devoted to study MD-induced oncogenesis and genes involved in this process. Among the many genes encoded by MDV, a number have recently been shown to affect the development of tumors in chickens, one protein directly causing transformation of cells (Meq) and another being involved in maintaining transformed cells (vTR). Other MDV gene products modulate and are involved in early lytic in vivo replication, thereby increasing the chance of transformation occurring. In this review, specific genes encoded by MDV that are involved in the initiation and/or maintenance of transformation were briefly summarized, and limits of current vaccination and new control strategies against MD, particularly how modem molecular biological methods may be used to improve strategies to combat the disease in the future, were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2011

Prevalence of major legal communicable diseases in chickens and ducks, which had occurred in Jeonbuk province from year 2004 to 2008. Total 283 farms 1,419,244 chickens and ducks have been affected by avian diseases. Specifically, fowl typhoid (FT) occurred in 92 farms 416,600 chickens, Marek's disease (MD) in 45 farms 145,563, duck virus hepatitis (DVH) in 31 farms 199,200, infectious bursal disease (IBD) in 27 farms 113,220, infectious bronchitis (IB) in 27 farms 280,300, low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) in 26 farms 78,495, avian mycoplasmosis in 16 farms 103,774, Newcastle disease (ND) occurred in 11 farms 61,052, avian encephalomyelitis (AE) in 7 farms 21,000, Pullorum disease (PD) occurred in 1 farm 40. According to total analysis about major legal communicable diseases, 1 species of first-class legal communicable diseases have occurred, 3 species of second-class and 6 species of third-class all adding up to 10 species. In the first-class diseases, Newcastle disease have occurred. Pullorum and fowl typhoid, duck virus hepatitis in the second-class have occurred and as third-class diseases, Marek's disease, Infectious bursal disease, Infectious bronchitis, avian mycoplasmosis, avian encephalomyelitis, low pathogenic avian influenza have occurred.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Pathology Conference
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• 2002.02a
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• pp.57-60
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• 2002

닭의 전신장기에 림프종 발생이 특징인 마렉병(Marek's disease; MD)은 림프구성 백혈병(Lymphoid leukosis; LL)과 병리학적 소견이 매우 유사하여 감별이 요구된다. 마렉병 바이러스(Marek's disease virus; MDV)는 질병초기에서 후기에 이르기까지 모낭 상피세포에 세포용해성 감염을 지속적으로 일으킨다. 세포용해 성 감염이 있는 모낭상피세포는 변성내지 괴사되어 있고 핵내봉입체가 관찰된다. 또한 세포용해 성 감염이 있는 모낭상피세포 바로 밑의 진피와 깃털 수질(feather pulp)내의 혈관주위에 림프구 침윤이 관찰된다. 이러한 피부병 변은 MD의 특징적인 병 변들로서 LL과 감별할 수 있는 결정적인 단서이다. 본 고에서는 MD에 관한 전반적인 것과 특히 MD 진단을 위한 피부병 변의 유용 성에 대해서 자세히 논하고자 한다

• KOREAN POULTRY JOURNAL
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• v.11 no.8 s.118
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• pp.137-140
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• 1979

근간 국내 각지에서 마렉병(Marek‘s Disease)이 발생하여 문제시되고 있다. 예방약(Vaccine)을 필하였다는 필증이 부착된 병아리를 구입하였을때 안심하고 사육 할 수 있으나 70-100일령에 피해를 보는 경우가 일어나고 있다. 마렉병의 모든 방역 대책은 Vaccine에만 의존하고 있는 국내사정으로 보아 무엇을 어떻게 하여야 치명적인 피해를 방지할 수 있는지에 앞서 마렉병을 잘 알고 면역 기전을 알아두자.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.229-238
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• 2010

Chicken Mx protein (cMx) induced interferon (IFN) is an antiviral protein to inhibit replication of RNA virus, particularly negative stranded RNA virus, through blockage of transfortation of viral RNA and proteins. In order to determine antiviral effects of cMx from different MHC haplotype chicken, we characterized cMx gene by studying on nucleotide sequencing, antiviral effects to Newcastle disease virus, VSV and MDV, and transcription activities. Three types of eMx genes (2,118 bp) were detected from the different MHC haplotype chickens [B19 (N), B15(F) and B21 (GSP)] chickens, which have showed different susceptible to Marek's disease (MD). Several amino acid substitutions were showed in the cMx. The amino acid 548 and 631 in the cMxs from N and F, chickens susceptible to MD, was Val and Asn which was important on antiviral effects, and showed in resistant cMx. Those in the cMx from GSP, chicken resistant to MD, were same that showed in susceptible cMx. Though every cMx transactivated the expression of the reporter gene, the transcription activation by resistant cMx from N and F was lower compared to that by susceptible cMx from GSP. The decease of the cell growth in the resistant cMx cloned cells was seen in comparison with another cMx clone cells. Replication of NDV and VSV was suppressed in the clones with resistant cMx from N and F. NMx258-transducted cells lack of antiviral effects, and NMx437 or NMx646-transducted cells was showed 60% of antiviral effects compared to NMx705. Mean death time (MDT) and hemaggutination (HA) titer to NDV was long and low in the eggs of N and F lines, but short and high in the egg of GSP line. Interestingly, strong suppression to NDV was observed in the clone with N-Mx and in the eggs of N line. However, the effects of Mx for replication of vvMDV1 have not been. Thus, resistant types of cMx, N- and F-Mx, have showed the anti-viral effects to only RNA virus including NDV and VSV, but not to DNA virus. Antiviral effects of cMx were required whole length of amino acid including Val and Asn in amino acid 548 and 631.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2006

This study has been designed to evaluate the efficacy of MD in-ovo vaccination in broiler and to find the contamination level of MD virus in broiler farms. A nested PCR test was used to find the level of filed contamination of pathogenic MD virus in the commercial broiler farms. The positive rate of farms contaminated with pathogenic MD virus was 26.09%. And to evaluate the efficacy of MD vaccination, performance factors such as the mortality, feed conversion rate and body weight at market age has been recorded and compared among farms. There was no difference on these factors between vaccinated and non-vaccinated farms except performance. We need further investigation of the film with low performance index. The B/B ratio, which is common index for the evaluation of bursal changes, was calculated and compared between vaccinated and non-vaccinated group There were significant decreases of B/B ratio in the both group without any statistical difference between groups. The reason of decreased bursal size may be due to other infection such as IBD. From this study, we can know that the contamination rate of fm with pathogenic MD virus was very low and not different from previous study. However, the difference of the contamination rate in different locations recommends periodical monitoring on these areas.