Organotropism of the lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) of turkeys.

Turkey poults were inoculated with lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) of turkey, and the organotropism of the inoculated virus was determined from the kinetics of virus expression and tumor formation. Molecular hybridization experiments, conducted to determine the level of viral RNA expression in the various organs of infected birds, established lymphoid tissues, including bone marrow, as the target for LPDV infection. Of these, bone marrow was the first to be infected but subsequently virus replication extended to the thymus, the spleen and the bursa Of Fabricius. The low level of LPDV expression in non-target organs probably stemmed from infiltration of infected lymphatic cells. The fact that the main organs for virus replication were not invariably the ones most clinically involved suggests that the target cells for virus infection need not necessarily be the targets for virus oncogenicity. A possible mode for LP[DV infection and transformation is proposed.