Blue wing disease of chickens: isolation of avian reovirus and chicken anaemia agent.

Viruses were regularly isolated from chickens affected with blue wing disease (BWD). All of the isolates in chicken embryo liver (CEL) cells except one were avian reoviruses as identified by size, morphology and cross-agar gel precipitation. An additional agent was isolated in a T-lymphoblastoid cell line, MDCC-MSB1. This agent has physico-chemical properties similar to those of CAA and it cross reacts with the reference Gifu-1 strain of CAA in an indirect immunofluorescence test.