Experimental infection of turkeys with avian pneumovirus and either Newcastle disease virus or Escherichia coli.

Avian pneumoviruses (APVs) are RNA viruses responsible for upper respiratory disease in poultry. Experimental infections are typically less severe than those observed in field cases. Previous studies with APV and Escherichia coli suggest this discrepancy is due to secondary agents. Field observations indicate APV infections are more severe with concurrent infection by Newcastle disease virus (NDV). In the current study, we examined the role of lentogenic NDV in the APV disease process. Two-week-old commercial turkey poults were infected with the Colorado strain of APV. Three days later, these poults received an additional inoculation of either NDV or E. coli. Dual infection of APV with either NDV or E. coli resulted in increased morbidity rates, with poults receiving APV/NDV having the highest morbidity rates and displaying lesions of swollen infraorbital sinuses. These lesions were not present in the single APV, NDV, or E coli groups. These results demonstrate that coinfection with APV and NDV can result in clinical signs and lesions similar to those in field outbreaks of APV.