The Morphologic Response of the Turkey Oviduct to Certain Pathogenic Agents

Abstract

It seems plausible that the changes in the oviduct of the turkey hen, as described here, and particularly those which involve the incidence and numbers of lymphoid foci and the degree of plasmacell infiltration, progress through gradations from a comparatively normal structure (as seen in mycoplasma-free and healthy conventional stock) to milder inflammation (exemplified by M. meleagridis infection) through CELO virus infections (of moderate histological severity) to severe involvement (exemplified by the infertility problem under consideration). Furthermore, except for the apparent selectivity of the infertility agent for the isthmus and infundibulum, these changes are of a quantitative nature rather than qualitative. Thus, the response of the avian oviduct to the presence of microorganisms is apparently analogous to the response of the digestive tract of the germ-free animal following exposure to normal intestinal microflora and to potentially pathogenic bacteria.