The Willows, St Ives, UK.
Avian Pathol. 2012;41(1):3-9. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2011.646238.
Marek's disease (MD), named after the Hungarian veterinary pathologist over 100 years ago, is a major disease affecting poultry health worldwide. Research in the late 1960s that led to the identification of the causative herpesvirus and the development of a highly successful vaccine is undoubtedly one of the best success stories in veterinary medicine. As Avian Pathology is celebrating its 40th anniversary, we review the last four decades of MD research that has provided major advances in our understanding of the virus, the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease, methods of diagnosis and the control through different generations of vaccines. Particular attention has been paid to the contributions made by publications in Avian Pathology. Despite this tremendous progress, MD continues to pose major challenges particularly from increasing virulence and emergence of new pathotypes. Further research on the molecular mechanisms of the disease, genetic resistance, vaccine-induced protection and evolution of virulence will be needed to develop more sustainable control strategies in the coming years.
马立克氏病（MD），以 100 多年前的匈牙利兽医病理学家的名字命名，是一种严重影响全球家禽健康的疾病。20 世纪 60 年代末的研究导致了致病疱疹病毒的鉴定和一种非常成功的疫苗的开发，这无疑是兽医医学上最成功的案例之一。随着《禽病学》杂志庆祝成立 40 周年，我们回顾了过去四十年中 MD 的研究进展，这些研究在我们对病毒、疾病的发病机制、不同代次疫苗的诊断和控制方法的理解方面取得了重大进展。特别关注了《禽病学》杂志发表的文章的贡献。尽管取得了巨大的进展，但 MD 仍然带来了重大挑战，特别是病毒毒力的增加和新的病原型的出现。未来几年，需要进一步研究疾病的分子机制、遗传抗性、疫苗诱导的保护和毒力的进化，以制定更可持续的控制策略。
