Differential lung NK cell responses in avian influenza virus infected chickens correlate with pathogenicity

• DOI: 10.1038/srep02478
• Publication Date: 2013-08-21T09:01:46Z
• Authors: Christine A. Jansen; Eveline D. de Geus; Daphne A. van Haa...; Peter M. van de Haar; Brandon Z. Löndt; Simon P. Graham; Thomas W. Göbel; Willem van Eden; Sharon M. Brookes; Lonneke Vervelde
• Keywords: Highly pathogenic; Viral Shedding

Infection of chickens with low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) virus results in mild clinical signs while infection highly pathogenic (HPAI) viruses causes death the birds within 36-48 hours. Since natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to play an important role influenza-specific immunity, we hypothesise that NK are involved this difference pathogenicity. To investigate this, chicken NK-cells LPAI was studied. Next activation lung upon HPAI analysed. a H9N2 resulted presence viral RNA lungs which coincided enhanced cells. The H5N1 viruses, measured by detection RNA, did not induce This suggests decreased NK-cell may be one mechanisms associated viruses.