Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Ducks”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Comparative pathological studies on domestic geese (Anser anser domestica) and Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) experimentally infected with parvovirus strains of goose and Muscovy duck origin.

Parvovirus infection of Muscovy ducks caused by a genetically and antigenically distinct virus has been reported from Germany, France, Israel, Hungary, some Asian countries and the USA. The pathological changes include those of degenerative skeletal muscle myopathy and myocarditis, hepatitis, sciatic neuritis and polioencephalomyelitis. In the study presented here, day-old and 3-week-old goslings and Muscovy ducks were infected experimentally with three different parvovirus strains (isolates of D-216/4 from the classical form of Derzsy's disease, D-190/3 from the enteric form of Derzsy's disease, and strain FM from the parvovirus disease of Muscovy ducks). All three parvovirus strains caused severe disease in both day-old and 3-week-old Muscovy ducks but in the goslings only the two strains of goose origin (D-216/4 and D-190/3) caused disease with high (90-100%) mortality when infection was performed at day old. Strain FM (of Muscovy duck origin) did not cause any clinical signs or pathological lesions in the goslings. In the day-old goslings and Muscovy ducks the principal pathological lesions were severe enteritis with necrosis of the epithelial cells (enterocytes) of the mucous membrane and the crypts of Lieberkühn, and the formation of intranuclear inclusion bodies. Other prominent lesions included hepatitis and atrophy (lymphocyte depletion) of the lymphoid organs (bursa of Fabricius, thymus, spleen). In goslings infected with the strain originating from the classical form of Derzsy's disease mild myocarditis was also detected. After infection at three weeks of age, growth retardation, feathering disorders, myocardial lesions (degeneration of cardiac muscle cells, lympho-histiocytic infiltration) and hepatitis were the most prominent lesions in both geese and Muscovy ducks. In addition to the lesions observed in the geese, muscle fibre degeneration, mild sciatic neuritis and polioencephalomyelitis were also observed in the Muscovy ducks infected with any of the three parvovirus strains.

Age Factors↗

Susceptibility of ducks and duck-origin cell cultures to infectious bursal disease virus.

Specific-pathogen-free (SPF) ducks that were 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 30, and 180 days old were inoculated experimentally orally or nasally with infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Attempts to induce clinical disease in ducks with strain J1 or FK-78 of IBDV were unsuccessful. Virus-recovery attempts from organ and intestinal contents were also unsuccessful. No significant gross or histopathological lesions were found in liver, spleen, kidney, heart, or bursa of Fabricius of 1- and 3-day-old ducks at 4 or 7 days postinoculation. The ratios of bursa weight to body weight of 1-, 10-, and 30-day-old inoculated and control ducks revealed no difference at 21 days postinoculation. The ducks responded serologically, however, by developing both virus-neutralizing and agar-gel-precipitin antibodies. Virus multiplied in embryonated duck eggs and duck embryo fibroblast cells but not in duck kidney cells.

Age Factors↗

Duck viral enteritis in domestic muscovy ducks in Pennsylvania.

Duck viral enteritis (DVE) outbreaks occurred at two different locations in Pennsylvania in 1991 and 1992. In the first outbreak, four ducks died out of a group of 30 domestic ducks; in the second outbreak, 65 ducks died out of a group of 114 domestic ducks, and 15 domestic geese died as well. A variety of species of ducks were present on both premises, but only muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) died from the disease. On necropsy, gross lesions included hepatomegaly with petechial hemorrhages, petechial hemorrhages in the abdominal fat, petechial hemorrhages on the epicardial surface of the heart, and multifocal to coalescing areas of fibrinonecrotic material over the mucosal surface of the trachea, esophagus, intestine, and cloaca. Histologically, the liver had random multifocal areas of necrosis and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in hepatocytes. DVE virus was isolated and identified using muscovy duck embryo fibroblast inoculation and virus neutralization.

Animals↗

The sequential change of serum 2',5' oligoadenylate synthetase in different infectious patterns of duck hepatitis B virus in ducks in experimental transmission.

Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) shows clear age-dependent infectious patterns like that of Hepatitis B virus, and many factors have been assumed to have a role in the persistence of the infection. In the present study, the activities of the interferon-induced enzyme 2',5' oligoadenylate synthetase (2,5AS) were observed sequentially in the serum of ducks experimentally infected with DHBV on posthatch days 1, 7 and 14. These were compared with the infectious pattern to investigate whether the endogenous interferon response after infection in ducks of different ages has a major role in its determination. The infectious pattern of DHBV in 1-day-old ducks was persistent without hepatitis and the others were transient with hepatitis. Persistently infected ducks showed significantly lower activities of 2,5AS compared with those with transient hepatitis, which resulted in a rapid elimination of DHBV. Although 1-day-old ducks showed significantly high 2,5AS compared with non-infected ducks, interferon response alone appeared to be insufficient for the elimination of DHBV. The immune response seemed necessary for the complete elimination of DHBV by way of evoking hepatitis and stimulating more interferon response during the usual infectious course. The interferon system alone did not seem to have a critical role in determining the infectious pattern. Other factors, including the immune response to the virus, seemed to have a major role in this problem.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗

Duck hepatitis B virus infection, aflatoxin B1 and liver cancer in domestic Chinese ducks.

The oncogenicity of Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) is unclear since hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) have been reported only in domestic ducks in Qidong, an area of China where hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are risk factors for liver cancer in man. In order to better define the association between DHBV infection, AFB1 and HCC we analysed a series of 16 duck liver samples collected from local farms in Qidong. HCC was found in eight and cirrhosis in one of these samples. Furthermore bile duct proliferation, characteristic of AFB1 exposure in ducks and other animal species, was found in these ducks. Integration of DHBV DNA into cellular DNA was observed in only one out of four DHBV positive HCCs, indicating that viral integration is not prerequisite for tumour development. In four remaining HCCs the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) failed to show any DHBV DNA suggesting that liver tumours do occur in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) failed to show any DHBV DNA suggesting that liver tumours do occur in these ducks in the absence of DHBV infection. In addition, AFB1-DNA adducts were detected by hplc-immunoassay in one such DHBV-negative tumour. In summary we demonstrate that risk factors other than DHBV, including AFB1 exposure, may be important in duck liver carcinogenesis in Qidong.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Immunological responsiveness of Pekin ducks to core antigen of duck hepatitis B virus.

Cellular immune responses to the HBc or HBe antigen of hepatitis B viruses contribute to the pathogenesis of hepatitis B and to the elimination of the virus. Insufficient cytotoxic immune reactions against the core antigen may be one major reason for viral persistence in the absence of severe clinical symptoms. We attempted to stop viral persistence in the animal model of congenitally infected ducks by injection of recombinant DHBc particles, together with the strong immunostimulator Freund's adjuvant. However, the duck HBc antigen (DHBcAg)-treated ducks did not develop detectable liver disease, nor was the virus persistence affected. The congenitally infected ducks did not contain antibodies against DHBcAg before injection despite continuous production of duck hepatitis B virus, and developed only a weak transient antibody response after injection of recombinant DHBcAg together with Freund's adjuvant. Noninfected ducks developed, in contrast, a strong antibody response to the injected DHBcAg. We conclude that congenitally infected ducks are immunotolerant to DHBcAg and cannot be cured by immunotherapy with exogenous recombinant DHBcAg.

Animals↗

[Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) and viral DNA in duck hepatocellular carcinoma and liver tissue].

The hybridization test for duck hepatitis B virus DNA was performed in 34 ducks with hepatoma from Qidong, Jiangsu province. Among the 34 hepatoma ducks, 18 were positive for DHBV DNA in the serum and 27 were positive in the tumor and/or liver tissue. Tissue sections were stained with Victoria blue nuclear fast red for detecting DHBV surface antigen. Victoria blue positive cells were found in 11 tumors and 15 paratumorous regions of 23 ducks with hepatocellular carcinoma. Although paratumorous regions were positively stained in 3 of 8 ducks with cholangiocarcinoma, all were negative within their tumors. All paratumorous regions and 2 tumor regions of 3 ducks with hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma were positive for Victoria blue. The results suggest that duck hepatocellular carcinoma be closely related to DHBV infection.

Animals↗

Oxidative stress on domestic ducks (Shaoxing duck) chronically exposed in a Mercury-Selenium coexisting mining area in China.

The Wanshan mercury mine is the largest mercury deposit in Guizhou Province, China. Few attempts have been made to study the toxic effects of mercury on biota in this mining area. This study was the first to investigate the oxidative stress on domestic ducks (Shaoxing duck) chronically exposed to mercury in the Wanshan mining area. Chemical analyses revealed higher concentrations of both, mercury and selenium in samples from the Wanshan area. Total mercury and selenium concentrations in duck tissues varied from 0.073 to 4.465 mg/kg and from 1.073 to 6.35 mg/kg, respectively. Analysis of covariance revealed that there were significant effects of zone on accumulation of mercury and selenium in all duck tissues (P<0.01). Moreover, analysis of covariance indicated that mercury content significantly affected the accumulation of selenium in duck muscle, brain, and liver (P<0.01). Mercury and selenium were also highly correlated in Wanshan duck liver, muscle, brain, and lung. The statistical analysis suggested that selenium might be an interactive factor in mercury toxicity. As for the biochemical analyses, it was observed that selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities and glutathione (GSH) content were significantly increased in the livers and brains of Wanshan ducks (P<0.01, 0.05). However, no significant changes were observed in malondialdehyde content (P>0.05). Although the results indicated that adaptive responses of the redox-defense system are associated with the increased enzyme activities and GSH content, the most likely explanation is that selenium plays a critical role. Therefore, the effects of the interaction environmentally occurring selenium and mercury on public health in the Wanshan area should be examined in further studies.

Animals↗

An outbreak of duck virus enteritis (duck plague) in Alberta.

Duck plague (Duck virus enteritis) was disgnosed in a resident population of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) on a small game farm in Alberta. This disease has not been reported previously in Canada. Clinical signs consisted of cyanosis, depression and acute death. Necropsy of two Muscovy ducks revealed lesions typical of the disease. There were ulcerations with pseudomembranes in the small intestine, ulcerations with caseous plaques in the esophagus and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the spleen. Clinical disease with mortality was reproduced in young ducklings injected with tissue homogenates from field cases. All surviving inoculated ducklings seroconverted to highly significant titres of neutralizing antibodies to duck virus enteritis (DVE) virus. All attempts to isolate the agent in embryonating duck eggs or primary tissues cultures of duck and chicken kidney were negative. Identification of the DVE virus was accomplished by serum neutralization with ducklings as the host system.

Alberta↗

[Sequence analysis of cloned duck hepatitis B virus genome from a Chongqing brown duck].

OBJECTIVE: To clone and analyze duck hepatitis B virus genome from Chongqing brown duck. METHODS: Duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) DNA extracted from a Chongqing brown duck was amplified by PCR and cloned into PGEM-T vector using T-A clone method. The sequence of this DHBV genome was analyzed with some softwares after identified. RESULTS: The duck hepatitis B virus genome from Chongqing brown duck (DHBVcq), which was 3 024 nucleotides long, contained three ORFs whose onset and end nucleotides were in accord with those of HPUGA, encoding P, PreC/C and PreS/S protein respectively. Comparison of this strain with other DHBV reported in GenBank showed that the homology of DHBVcq and M32990 got the highest score of 94.9% at nucleotide level, while DHBVcq and DHBVCG got the least (89.8%). Most of the conserved regulation nucleotides and amino acids sequence found in other DHBV were also identified in DHBVcq. The epsilon region of DHBVcq, which was important for encapsidation of pgRNA and synthesis of minus-strand DNA, differed from that of most other DHBV strains, forming a stem-loop conformation with a three- nucleotides upper stem rather than a common nine-nucleotides one in free status. CONCLUSION: The successful clone and analysis of DHBVcq provide further studies with helpful information.

Animals↗

Duck hepatitis B virus infection, aflatoxin B1 and liver cancer in ducks.

The association between chronic infection by hepadnaviruses isolated from human (HBV), woodchuck (WHV), ground squirrel (GSHV) and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in their respective hosts is well established (reviewed in [11, 15, 17]). By contrast, the association of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) infection with HCC is less documented. Pekin ducks congenitally infected with DHBV and followed for several years throughout the world do not develop liver tumors: HCC has been found only in domestic ducks from a single area of China, Qidong. Several factors such as DHBV carrier rate, breed and age of ducks, subtype of DHBV and environmental carcinogens are suspected to contribute to this striking difference between the geographical repartition of liver cancer in DHBV-carrier ducks. In this brief review we will consider successively the role of these different factors in duck liver oncogenesis.

Aflatoxin B1↗

Molecular characterization of duck hepatitis B virus isolates from South African ducks.

The objective of the study was to characterize the genome of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) isolates from South African Pekin ducks. Duck serum and liver samples were collected from two commercial duck farms from geographically distinct regions of South Africa. In total, 498 duck serum samples were tested for the presence of DHBV DNA using either sub-genomic or full-length polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The overall prevalence of DHBV infection in South African ducks was 47%. In addition, 30% of 59 liver tissues tested were DHBV DNA-positive. Six randomly selected serum or liver samples were used to clone and sequence the genomes of the South African DHBV strains. All six isolates had DHBV genomes of 3,021 nucleotides with three characteristic overlapping reading frames encoding the polymerase, surface and core gene products. No X-like gene with a traditional start codon was found. Following phylogenetic analysis, the South African DHBV isolates clustered with DHBV isolates from other "Western" countries, including United States of America, Canada, Germany and India. On translation of the open reading frames, the South African isolates were found to share signature amino acids in the polymerase and surface genes with the "Western" country isolates as opposed to those of Chinese DHBV isolates.

Animals↗

Natural and experimental infection of wild mallard ducks with duck hepatitis B virus.

Wild duck populations were investigated over a 4 year period for duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) infection and liver disease. It appeared that DHBV is endemic in wild migratory mallards from France and the U.S.A., although neither hepatocellular carcinoma nor viral DNA integration could be detected in liver samples examined. The follow up of natural infection indicated that wild mallards developed significantly higher serum titres to DHBV DNA than Pekin ducks. The results of experimental transmission demonstrated that such differences in viraemia were not related to the breed of ducks but to the virus isolate, since the wild mallard-isolated DHBV (DHBV WM) induced significantly higher viraemia in both mallard and Pekin ducklings compared to the domestic Pekin DHBV (DHBVP) isolate. The naturally infected mallard and Pekin ducks had only minor histological lesions of the liver compared with experimentally infected birds. There was no correlation between the intensity of viraemia and the severity of liver lesions, suggesting that as for mammalian hepadnaviruses the hepatic injury in DHBV-infected ducks is probably immunologically mediated.

Animals↗

Dot blot hybridization assay for the detection of duck hepatitis B virus DNA among healthy Indian country ducks.

A DNA molecular hybridization technique employing Duck Hepatitis B Virus (DHBV) DNA of 3.0 kilobase pairs as a probe was used to screen for the presence of DHBV DNA in blood samples, collected from 90 apparently healthy Indian country ducks. Six out of 90 ducks showed positivity for DHBV DNA in serum (5.4%) and only 4 out of 6 DHBV DNA positive ducks answered in Counter Immuno Electrophoresis (CIEP) using specific antibody against DHBV surface antigen raised in Guinea pig. The results indicate the pilot observation that (a) DHBV carrier status exists to a tune of 5.4% among apparently healthy Indian country ducks also and (b) DHBV probe can be employed as a sensitive and reliable assay for DHBV DNA detection in DHBV infected ducks.

Animals↗

Occurrence and ultrastructural localization of duck hepatitis B virus in the liver of ducks after experimental infection.

A sequential study was performed to investigate the occurrence and localization of duck hepatitis B virus in the liver of domestic ducks utilizing the indirect immunoperoxidase method and electron microscopy. Seventeen ducklings were injected intravenously with duck hepatitis B virus-positive serum within 24 hr after hatching and were subsequently sacrificed on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 27th and 44th day after injection. Nine ducklings were not injected and were used as a negative control. Duck hepatitis B virus DNA by spot hybridization using a [3P]-labeled probe occurred in trace amounts on the 2nd day and in large amounts on the 4th day after inoculation. Immunoreactivity for DHBV was seen in the hepatocytes, sporadically on the 2nd day and diffusely on the 4th day, and also in the biliary epithelial cells on the 27th day. Both kinds of cells revealed staining in the cytoplasm but not in the nucleus. Virus particles were recognized by electron microscopy in the hepatocytes beginning on the 4th day. The hepatocytes had many incomplete virus particles, 40 to 61 nm in diameter, and a few complete virus particles, 40 nm in diameter, in the cisternae of the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticula. Such particles and the endoplasmic reticulum showed reaction products for duck hepatitis B virus by immunoelectron microscopy. There were clusters of core particles, 27 nm in diameter, in the hyaloplasm around peroxisomes where an assembly of cores appeared to occur. No conspicuous virus particles were recognized in the biliary epithelial cells. The similarities and differences in virus localization between duck hepatitis B virus and hepatitis B virus are discussed.

Animals↗

Viral nucleic acid synthesis and antigen accumulation in pancreas and kidney of Pekin ducks infected with duck hepatitis B virus.

Liver, pancreas, and kidney from Pekin ducks infected with duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) were assayed for the presence of both viral antigen and replication-specific forms of viral nucleic acid. In young congenitally infected ducks, antigen was detectable in hepatocytes and bile duct epithelia, in kidney glomeruli and tubular epithelia, and in cells localized to pancreatic acini. In older experimentally infected ducks, antigen was detectable in hepatocytes, in glomeruli and tubular epithelia, and in cells localized to presumptive pancreatic alpha-islets. All but the glomeruli-associated viral antigen appeared to be localized to the cytoplasm of antigen-positive cells. Much of the glomeruli-associated antigen appeared to be extracellular and was detected in glomeruli that were positive for the accumulation of immunoglobulin, observations suggestive of the deposition of viral antigen-antibody complexes. As analyzed with bulk tissue, replication-specific forms of viral nucleic acid were detectable in liver and pancreas from the young congenitally infected ducks and in liver and kidney from the older experimentally infected ducks.

Animals↗

Duck hepatitis B virus DNA in liver and serum of Chinese ducks: integration of viral DNA in a hepatocellular carcinoma.

The presence of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) DNA in liver and serum and its state (integrated vs. free) were studied in 23 ducks from Chi-tung county in China by spot hybridization and Southern blot hybridization, respectively. In 16 of 23 (70%), DHBV DNA was detected in serum and/or in liver tissue. These infected ducks showed a variety of pathological changes including advanced chronic disease in the liver. In contrast, none of the virus-negative ducks had advanced hepatic changes. One DHBV DNA-seropositive duck had a large hepatocellular carcinoma. Southern blot analysis demonstrated integrated DHBV DNA in neoplastic tissue and abundant episomal DHBV DNA in non-neoplastic tissue of the liver. In one noninfected duck with a small adenoma, no viral DNA was detected in tumor or non-neoplastic tissue. The detection of integrated DHBV DNA in hepatocellular carcinoma suggests that DHBV behaves like human and woodchuck hepatitis viruses in relation to chronic liver disease and hepatocarcinogenesis.

Animals↗

A sequential histologic and immunohistochemical study of duck hepatitis B virus infection in Pekin ducks.

Twenty-nine Pekin ducks were inoculated with duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), DHBV-free serum, or saline at 1 day of age. Congenitally DHBV-infected ducks were also studied. Ducks were killed periodically during a 92-week study and examined histologically and immunohistochemically to assess liver and extrahepatic inflammation and to detect and characterize DHBV core antigen tissue distribution. DHBV infection produced an asymptomatic but persistent DHBV viremia in all ducks associated with a mild to moderate transient hepatic inflammation apparent at 3 to 6 weeks post-inoculation and waning afterwards. DHBV core antigen was detected in hepatocyte cytoplasm at 1 week post-inoculation, and by 3 weeks post-inoculation scattered pancreatic acinar and islet cells also contained viral antigen. Small numbers of mononuclear cells in the splenic white pulp also contained viral antigen. Viral antigen persisted in all of these tissues throughout the duration of the experiment. No inflammation or tissue injury was detected in any of the extrahepatic tissues during the course of DHBV infection. One DHBV-injected duck developed a hepatocellular carcinoma at 88 weeks of age. Isolated patches of neoplastic hepatocytes contained cytoplasmic DHBV core antigen. The results of this study indicate that DHBV, like mammalian hepadnavirus, is capable of producing a persistent infection of the liver and several extrahepatic tissues and suggest that persistent infection may be associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Animals↗