Relationships Among Visceral Lymphomatosis, Bursa of Fabricius, and Bursa-Dependent Lymphoid Tissue of the Chicken2

The present studies further define the previously reported relationship of the bursa of Fabricius to virus-induced visceral lymphomatosis. They indicate that visceral lymphomatosis is a malignancy exclusively of that component of the lymphoid tissue derived from and/or dependent for its development on the bursa. The studies further exclude the thymus or the thymus-dependent lymphoid tissue from any involvement in visceral lymphomatosis. Bursectomy can be performed as late as 5 months after virus Inoculation and can still influence the development of visceral lymphomatosis. Antibody production, a function of the bursa-dependent lymphoid tissue, is also demonstrated to be impaired early in the incubation period of visceral lymphomatosis.