Marek's disease is a multi-faceted highly contagious disease affecting chickens caused by the Marek's disease alphaherpesvirus (MDV). MDV early infection induces a transient immunosuppression, which is associated with thymus and bursa of Fabricius atrophy. Little is known about the cellular processes involved in primary lymphoid organ atrophy. Here, by in situ TUNEL assay, we demonstrate that M...

The migration of progenitor cells to specific microenvironments is essential for the development of complex organisms. Avian species possess a unique primary lymphoid organ, the bursa of Fabricius, that plays a central role in the development of B cells. B cell progenitors, however, arise outside the bursa of Fabricius and, during embryonic development, must migrate through the vasculature to t...

Fourteen species of the genus Empis Linnaeus were collected and identified from Iran. Empis (Lisssempis) guilanensis Kazerani & Shamshev sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Guilan province in north central Iran. The following seven species were recorded from Iran for the first time: E. (Euempis) tessellata Fabricius, 1794; E. (Pachymeria) mediterranea (Loew, 1864); E. (P.) obscuripes (Lo...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The predatory behaviour with reference to the frequency-dependent prey-selection of the water bugs Sphaerodema annulatum Fabricius and S. rusticum Fabricius was studied in the laboratory using the IV instar larvae and pupae of Armigeres subalbatus as prey to ascertain their efficacy as predator of mosquito immatures. METHODS Field collected adult morphs of the water bu...

The Chinese fauna of the family Leucospidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) is reviewed and illustrated for the first time. Twelve species of Leucospis Fabricius, 1775 are recorded; of which two species are new to science: Leucospis aequidentatasp. n. and Leucospis shaanxiensissp. n. and one species is reported new for China: Leucospis intermedia Illiger, 1807. An identification key to Chinese spec...

The article "The bursa of Fabricius and antibody production" by Bruce Glick, Timothy S. Chang, and R. George Jaap first demonstrated the role of the bursa in immune development. Birds, including chickens, possess a peculiar organ, the bursa of Fabricius. The organ was recognized for more than 300 yr before its function was described in 1956. Discovery of the bursa as an essential component of t...

Several causes may induce change and atrophy in the bursa of Fabricius (BF). Databases on BF standards are available from published studies, however, updated references are needed to adjust the BF standards to present changes in highly specialized broiler genetic lines. The aim of this study was to evaluate BF-related measurements (weight and dimensions) under controlled conditions that would m...

Low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2) is of major concern for the poultry industry especially in Iran, as the virus can spread rapidly in and between flocks, causing high mortality and severe economic losses. The aim of this study was to determine the pathogenicity of H9N2 avian influenza virus in thymus and bursa of Fabricius of commercial broiler chickens, so we studied the histologic lesions...

Androgenic hormones induce inhibition or regression of the bursa of Fabricius in the chick embryo. The high doses of hormones necessary to this involution raises the question of the processes involved and their putative role in the normal development of the bursa. If androgens play a role it is mediated by receptor sites in target cells. Using an autoradiographic technique, receptor sites for a...

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) were identified as signal transducers for the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily. In this study, we cloned and characterized two genes that encode chicken TNFR-II and TRAF5. The initial cDNA fragments were obtained by suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) of chicken spleen cells with or without lipopolysacchari...