Immunohistochemical investigation of the tissue distribution of mannan-binding lectin in non-infected and virus-infected chickens.

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This paper describes the results of immuno-histochemical staining for chicken mannan-binding lectin (MBL) in formalin-fixed tissue sections from non-infected chickens, and from chickens infected with infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) or infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). In the non-infected chickens, MBL was detected in the cytoplasm of a few hepatocytes and in the germinal centres of the caecal tonsils, whereas sections of kidney, heart muscle, spleen, cerebrum, thymus, adrenal gland, bursa of Fabricius, bone marrow and trachea were without staining. In the ILTV-infected chickens, an intense staining reaction for MBL was detected in the cytoplasm of all hepatocytes and on the surface of, and inside, ILTV-infected cells. Also in the IBDV-infected chickens, an intense staining reaction for MBL was detected in the cytoplasm of all hepatocytes. No staining was seen in the follicles of the bursa of Fabricius, but MBL was present in non-identified cells in the interstitium, and in the cytoplasm of macrophage-like cells, located peripheral to the ellipsoid of the spleen. These findings indicate the liver as the primary site of MBL synthesis, and points to up-regulation as a result of the viral infections. The location outside the liver could indicate a role of MBL in the immune defence.