Studies on the etiology of lymphomas in turkeys: isolation of reticuloendotheliosis in virus.

Studies of tissues from 25 normal turkey flocks and of 15 selected turkey lymphoid tumors revealed no Marek's disease or lymphoid leukosis viruses, although reticuloendotheliosis viruses (REV) were isolated from 3 flocks (2 with a history of neoplastic disease). The REV isolates were culturally and antigenically similar to the prototype REV strain T but were of low pathogenicity. Attempts failed to transmit 6 lymphoid tumors of diverse origin by inoculation into 2 strains of recipient turkeys. These data support an etiological role for REV in some though not all forms of turkey neoplastic disease.