Immune profile of infectious bursal disease: I. Effect of infectious bursal disease virus on peripheral blood T and B lymphocytes of chickens.

A comparison was made of absolute numbers of peripheral blood B and T lymphocytes, as defined by the anti-bursal and anti-thymus sera, in chickens infected with infectious bursal disease virus at one day and 3 weeks of age by age-matched controls. Birds were evaluated sequentially at weekly intervals for a period of 8 weeks postinfection. The severity of depressions of B-lymphocyte numbers was found to be age-dependent: the birds infected at one day of age showed a more severe depletion than those infected at 3 weeks of age. The T-lymphocyte numbers were less markedly affected in infected chickens of either age group.