Experiments are proposed to analyze the antiviral immune response in Pekin ducks infected with duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) in order to define the roles of immunity, both in mediating liver damage in neonatally infected ducks and in preventing the establishment of persistent viremia in older infected ducks. The proposed analysis will involve the use of immunologically compromised ducks, selectively depleted of either B cells (bursectomy) or T cells (thymectomy) to determine the respective roles of these lymphoid cells in DHBV infection. In addition, as congenitally infected ducks do not exhibit liver pathology, the possibility will be investigated, by assays for immune reactivity to viral core and surface antigen, that these ducks are immunologically tolerant to viral antigen.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI022065-02
Application #
3132711
Study Section
Immunological Sciences Study Section (IMS)
Project Start
1985-03-01
Project End
1988-02-29
Budget Start
1986-03-01
Budget End
1987-02-28
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1986
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Wistar Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
England, J M; Halpern, M S (1988) The arginine-stimulated insulin response is impaired in congenital duck hepatitis B virus infection. Virology 165:299-302
Halpern, M S; Mason, W S; Coates, L et al. (1987) Humoral immune responsiveness in duck hepatitis B virus-infected ducks. J Virol 61:916-20
Halpern, M S; McMahon, S B; Mason, W S et al. (1986) Viral antigen expression in the pancreas of DHBV-infected embryos and young ducks. Virology 150:276-82
Halpern, M S; Egan, J; McMahon, S B et al. (1985) Duck hepatitis B virus is tropic for exocrine cells of the pancreas. Virology 146:157-61