Immune responses of ducks infected with duck Tembusu virus

Abstract

Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) can cause serious disease in ducks, characterized by reduced egg production. Although the virus has been isolated and detection methods developed, the host immune responses to DTMUV infection are unclear. Therefore, we systematically examined the expression of immune-related genes and the viral distribution in DTMUV-infected ducks, using quantitative real-time PCR. Our results show that DTMUV replicates quickly in many tissues early in infection, with the highest viral titers in the spleen 1 day after infection. Rig-1, Mda5, and Tlr3 are involved in the host immune response to DTMUV, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (Il-1β, –2, –6, Cxcl8) and antiviral proteins (Mx, Oas, etc.) are also upregulated early in infection. The expression of Il-6 increased most significantly in the tissues tested. The upregulation of Mhc-I was observed in the brain and spleen, but the expression of Mhc-II was upregulated in the brain and downregulated in the spleen. The expression of the interferons was also upregulated to different degrees in the spleen but that of the brain was various. Our study suggests that DTMUV replicates rapidly in various tissues and that the host immune responses are activated early in infection. However, the overexpression of cytokines may damage the host. These results extend our understanding of the immune responses of ducks to DTMUV infection, and provide insight into the pathogenesis of DTMUV attributable to host factors.

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Immune-Related Gene Expression in Duck Embryo Fibroblasts Following Duck Tembusu Virus Infection

“…In this study, DTMUV was sensed by PRRs in DEFs, and various immune molecules were efficiently induced. The results were somewhat similar to those obtained in a previous study, which uncovered that IFN-α , IFN-β , IFN-γ , IL-1β , IL-2 , IL-6 , and IL-8 were upregulated in the spleens of DTMUV-infected ducks [33]. However, these cytokines could not inhibit DTMUV replication in DEFs.…”

Dietary Administration of Bacillus subtilis Enhances Growth Performance, Immune Response and Disease Resistance in Cherry Valley Ducks

“…Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) oligonucleotide primers for cytokines, chemokines, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ( GAPDH ) as described by Wei et al (2013) and Li et al (2014), as presented in Table 3. qRT-PCR was performed using the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, CA, USA) with the TransStart Tip Green qPCR SuperMix (Transgen Biotech Co., Ltd., Beijing, China) and conducted in a total volume of 20 μL.…”

An updated review of avian-origin Tembusu virus: a newly emerging avian Flavivirus

“…3) and a historical duck TMUV isolate from Thailand was identical to historical duck TMUV isolates from Malaysia and the newly isolated duck TMUV from China. [45,46]. Our previous research indicated that relative transcriptional levels of IFNs and ILs are significantly upregulated in goose peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after stimulation with duck TMUV.…”