Changes in lymphoid organs and blood lymphocytes induced by vitamin A deficiency and Newcastle disease virus infection in chickens

The effect of vitamin A deficiency in the presence or absence of Newcastle disease virus infection (NDV, La Sota strain) on weight of lymphoid organs and on the number and type of circulating white blood cells (WBC) was investigated in chickens. Day-old chickens with limited vitamin A reserves were fed purified diets containing either marginal (ad libitum) or adequate (pair-fed) levels of vitamin A and at 21–28 days of age; half the chickens in each group were infected with NDV. Vitamin A deficiency resulted only in significantly lower absolute and relative weights of bursa of Fabricius and after infection both weights of bursa and thymus were significantly lower. Relative weight of spleen was significantly higher after infection irrespective of vitamin A status. Liver weights were not affected by vitamin A status and/or NDV infection. Both vitamin A deficiency and NDV infection resulted in lymphopenia, while the lowest number of WBC were observed in vitamin A-deficient chickens during the acute phase of NDV (5 days after infection). Subsequent to lymphopenia due to NDV infection, a marked lymphocytosis was observed in controls and to a lesser extent in vitamin A-deficient birds. These results indicate that vitamin A deficiency, which is aggravated by concomitant NDV infection, affects lymphoid cell systems.