In vitro depression of the mitogenic response of lymphocytes from turkeys infected with hemorrhagic enteritis virus.

A depression in the mitogenic response of lymphocytes was demonstrated in turkeys inoculated with hemorrhagic enteritis virus. Blood samples were collected (in heparin) once a week, beginning 1 week after the turkeys were inoculated. The whole blood assay was used to study lymphoblastogenesis. Concanavalin-A and phytohemagglutinin were the mitogens used: the radioisotope used was (125I)deoxyuridine (125IudR; 125I, sp act 5 Ci/mg). Suppression in the lymphocyte response in vitro was seen up to 5 weeks after the inoculations were done, after which there was a gradual recovery from suppression in the lymphocyte blastogenesis.