Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya.
Open Vet J. 2024 Aug;14(8):1952-1959. doi: 10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i8.24. Epub 2024 Aug 31.
Pigeon leukosis is primarily caused by avian leukosis virus subgroup A (ALV-A). It infects and transforms lymphoid cells, leading to the development of tumors in various lymphoid tissues and other organs especially the liver.
This study was conducted to diagnose lymphoid leukosis in a naturally infected pigeon flock in Egypt.
Tissue specimens from the liver, spleen, thymus, kidney, lung, proventriculus, gizzard, intestine, pancreas, heart, pectoral muscle, ovary, and testes were collected from infected birds for pathological and immunohistochemical examinations.
Clinical signs were generally nonspecific and comprised weakness, dehydration, and emaciation. Gross lesions were mostly in the liver and spleen, in the form of minute white nodules scattered on the liver surface. Microscopic examination of the liver, spleen, and kidneys showed masses of uniform sizes and the presence of differentiated lymphoid cells. These cells appeared as large mononuclear cells with poorly defined cell membranes. Immunohistochemical investigation exhibited that the ALV-A positive indicators were chiefly accessible in the liver, ovary, spleen, and kidney.
Lymphoid leukosis in pigeons could be provisionally diagnosed by a pathological picture of characteristic tumors and confirmed by immunoreactivity of viral antigens in different tissues.
鸽白血病主要由禽白血病病毒 A 亚群（ALV-A）引起。它感染并转化淋巴细胞，导致各种淋巴组织和其他器官（尤其是肝脏）发生肿瘤。
本研究旨在诊断埃及自然感染鸽群中的淋巴细胞白血病。
从感染鸟类的肝脏、脾脏、胸腺、肾脏、肺脏、前胃、肌胃、肠道、胰腺、心脏、胸肌、卵巢和睾丸中采集组织标本，进行病理和免疫组织化学检查。
临床症状通常是非特异性的，包括虚弱、脱水和消瘦。大体病变主要在肝脏和脾脏，肝脏表面散布着微小的白色结节。肝脏、脾脏和肾脏的显微镜检查显示出均匀大小的肿块和分化的淋巴细胞存在。这些细胞表现为大的单核细胞，细胞膜不清晰。免疫组织化学研究表明，ALV-A 阳性指标主要存在于肝脏、卵巢、脾脏和肾脏中。
通过特征性肿瘤的病理图像和不同组织中病毒抗原的免疫反应，可以初步诊断鸽子的淋巴细胞白血病。
