Murine Xenotropic Type C Viruses. IV. Replication and Pathogenesis in Ducks

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Abstract
The xenotropic (X-tropic) mouse type C leukemia virus (MuLV) and its pseudotype of murine sarcoma virus (MSV) were inoculated into several fertilized developing Pekin duck eggs. The development of the duck embryos was substantially reduced in those receiving the X-tropic viruses compared to eggs inoculated only with tissue culture medium. Infectious virus was isolated from some of the adult animals; in others, evidence for integrated virus sequences in the tissues was noted. No specific pathology was found in the ducks that received X-tropic MuLV alone, but 1 duck developed multiple fibrosarcomas when inoculated at birth with the X-tropic virus pseudotype of murine sarcoma virus. Two ducks receiving X-tropic MuLV had signs of hematopoietic disorders. More virus-inoculated animals had evidence of hepatitis and encephalitis than control ducks. Antibody production to X-tropic virus in tissue culture. This demonstrates in vivo that avian species are susceptible to infection by the mouse X-tropic virus and that their fibroblasts can be transformed by the X-tropic MuLV pseudotype of MSV.