| Summary |
Sixty ducks of 4 weeks old were randomly divided into 3 groups, 20 in each, and were inoculated with 400 TCIDso of pseudorabies virus (PRV) by oronasal, intracerebral and in-tramuscular routes respectively. Results indicated that all but the ducks in oronasal inocula-tion group were infected. The major clinical signs were the disturbance of the central nerv-ous system only. Depression, unusual movement of head, convulsions, coma and suddendeath were present. Pruritus was not oh5erved in any of the ducks inoculated with PRY. Petech-ial hemorrhages, marked perivascular cuffing and diffuse gliosis were found in the brains of the infected ducks. All vital organs suspensions, sera, oronasal and cloaca! discharges of the tested animals were submitted for isolation of the PRY. It was shown that the virus was only detected in the brain tissues of the infected animals. The sera of all animals did not contain detectable levels of RPY neutralizing antibodies.
The data suggest that the infection of PRY in ducks can be established by intracer-ebral or intramuscular inoculations and the brain tissues seem to be the main organ for the replication of PRY. The role of the duck in the transmission of PRY is limited; there-fore it is not important in either as a reservoir or dissemination of PRV.
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