Abstract
The main symptoms and pathological changes of the runting and stunting (malabsorption) syndrome as they are observed in many countries are described. Criteria used to define successful experimental infections are formulated.
Results of experimental work are presented from which it appeared that runting is an infectious condition in which the intestine is the target organ. Birds developed all clinical and pathological aspects of the syndrome only if they were infected during the first days of life. The main spread of the infectious agent(s) is horizontally and it occurs very rapidly. Although vertical transmission is suggested by circumstantial evidence, this has not been proved.
While a viral aetiology was suspected, attempts to reproduce the disease with reoviruses and coronaviruses isolated from field cases were unsuccessful. The original theory of a viral aetiology was questioned when it appeared that the pathogenicity of a diluted homogenate could be sedimented by low speed centrifugation. Moreover in a series of 3 bird passages of a bacteria-free filtrate of the homogenate, the pathogenicity decreased rather than increased.
The syndrome could be reproduced by inoculation of a combination of isolated aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and a bacteria-free filtrate, but not with each of these inocula separately. These results indicate involvement of both virus(es) and bacteria(e) in the aetiology.
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Reference
Kouwenhoven, B., Davelaar, F.G. and van Walsum, J. 1978. Infectious pro- ventriculitis causing runting in broilers. Avian Pathol. 7, 183 –187.
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© 1986 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg
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Kouwenhoven, B., Vertommen, M.H., Goren, E. (1986). Runting in Broilers. In: McFerran, J.B., McNulty, M.S. (eds) Acute Virus Infections of Poultry. Current Topics in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, vol 37. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4287-5_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4287-5_18
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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