Studies on Acute Marek's Disease. VII. Airborne Transmission of the GA Isolate

Research workers on Marek's disease (MD) generally agree that the etological agent(s) responsible are air-transmitted and that this is probably the most important means of spread within poultry populations. A search revealed only one scientific investigation, however, that of Sevoian et al. (11), in 1963 on airborne transmission of avian lymphomatosis. The disease which those workers transmitted by the airborne route would apparently now be classified under the system of Burmester and Witter (3) as Marek's disease, a member of the avian leukosis complex. The studies reported herein were undertaken principally to provide additional information on airborne transmission of MD, with the hope that such information would be useful in planning programs designed to control this costly and perplexing disease of poultry.