Genetic susceptibility of chicken macrophages toin vitroinfection with infectious laryngotracheitis virus

Abstract

Chicken macrophages are susceptible to infection with infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), the level of infection being dependent, in part, on the genotype of the host cell. Following infection in vitro a greater proportion of macrophages from the ILTV-resistant J1(B113/113) and N1(B114/114) inbred lines of chickens were found to be positive for ILTV antigens, than macrophages from the ILTV-susceptible M1(B15/15) chickens. The proportion of ILTV-positive macrophages was found to be genetically regulated, in part by the chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC), although alloantisera to class I and class II MHC antigens did not reduce the number of macrophages infected. Similarly, the phagocytic activity of the cultured macrophages from chickens of different MHC genotype did not correlate with their susceptibility to infection with ILTV.