Characterization of surface markers present on cells infected by chicken anemia virus in experimentally infected chickens.

Specific-pathogen-free chickens were infected with chicken anemia virus (CAV) at 1 day of age and killed after 6 days. Using a double-antibody staining procedure, spleen, thymus, and bone-marrow cells containing CAV antigen were stained for presence of T-cell antigens and chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class 1 and 2 antigens. The results demonstrated CAV infection of precursor T-cells in the thymus and of mature T-lymphocytes in the spleen. A significant proportion of the cells infected in bone marrow expressed MHC Class 2 antigens but did not exhibit the characteristics of T-lymphocytes. Since CAV grows in MDCC-MSB1 cells, the staining characteristics of these cells were also studied. MSB1 cells possessed all of the characteristics of mature, helper T-lymphocytes.