Pathogenicity of various adenovirus serotypes in the presence of Escherichia coli in chickens.

Ten strains of adenovirus representing 10 serotypes were administered intratracheally to 3-week-old specific-pathogen-free chickens, which also received 2.9 X 10(5) colony-forming units of a pathogenic Escherichia coli intranasally. One group was given only E. coli, and one was retained as an uninoculated control. Gross pathologic alterations post-mortem were minimal and limited to multiple scattered, pale areas in the lungs of an occasional chicken in various groups. Histopathologic changes in the lungs were those of multifocal, interstitial, and occasionally diffuse pneumonia. Moderate to marked interstitial pneumonia was incited by adenovirus strains 75-1A, B-3 A-2, C-2B, and X-11; Ind-C, Stein, Tipton, J-2, and T-8 caused similar but milder lesions. Strains 75-1A, A-2, C-2B, T-8, and X-11 incited moderate to marked multifocal pneumonia; Ind-C, Stein, Tipton, J-2, and B-3 caused mild multifocal pneumonia. In all groups, the pneumonic lesions were more severe 5 days postinoculation than 12 days postinoculation. Bronchiolitis and tracheitis lesions also varied in severity with serotype. A mild hepatitis was seen with serotypes T-8 and 75-1A. Neither the uninoculated control group nor the group inoculated with only E. coli exhibited gross or histopathologic alterations.