OBITUARY

BERTRAM CLAUDE VEECH, B.V.Sc. Bertram Claude (Bertie) Veech, late of Yarrabundy,

Wellington, New South Wales, died in hospital on 6 August, 1977 at the very considerable age of 90 years. Always a quiet and retiring type, but a sound and con- scientious veterinarian, Bertie Veech was one of the first batch of graduates from the University of Sydney Veterinary School in 1914.

Like most of his classmates, he joined the AAVC shortly after graduation, and served in the main with the 5th Field Artillery Brigade in France, and with the rank of Captain. He was mentioned in dispatches twice.

On returning to Australia, Bertie worked for a time in practice with the late Roy Stewart. Following this he became unique in the profession as Veterinary Officer to the Municipal Council of Launceston, Tasmania,

and thus was one of our earliest members to be involved in eradication of tuberculosis on a wide scale. On returning to New South Wales, he held various appoint- ments with the Department of Agriculture. First stationed at Kiama as a Veterinary Officer, he was transferred in the same capacity to Hawkesbury Agri- cultural College from 1935-37, when he became the first District Veterinary Officer at Grafton. In 1945 he transferred to Cootamundra as District Veterinary Officer and retired from there.

Bertie Veech is survived by 2 sons, and to Brian and Bernard we extend our sincere sympathy. Their father was a gentleman of the profession he served.

(J. C. B.)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RETlCULOENDOTHELIOSIS VIRUS: EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION OF POULTRY AND IMMUNOFLUORESCENT IDENTIFICATION OF AUSTRALIAN ISOLATES

In a review of the reticuloendqtheliosis viruses (REV), Purchase and Writer (1975) describe reticuloendotheliosis as “a predominantly neoplastic disease of turkeys, ducks, chickens and other birds which is caused by a group of RNA viruses”. All REV’S which have been studied are similar in serological properties and will replicate in chicken or duck embryo fibroblast cell cultures. These cultures have been utilised in indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) tests to detect REV or specific antibody. However little is known of the occur- rence of REV in Australia other than a case of reticulo- endotheliosis which occurred naturally in a duck in Queensland (Grimes and Purchase 1973) and was ex- perimentally transmitted in ducklings. A recent (1976-7) widespread outbreak of proventriculitis in Australian poultry, associated with the use of commercial avian vaccines suspected to be contaminated with REV, has emphasised the need for a serological test for REV in Australia.

This communication reports adaptation of the Queens- land REV isolate to cell cultures and the development of an IFA test which was used to detect antibody to REV and to identify two other Australian isolates of REV.

A suspension of buffy coat material of the isolate of Grimes and Purchase (1973) was supplied by the Animal Research Institute, Queensland Department of Primary Industries. This material (designated REV/Q/ 1/73) was inoculated by the intraperitoneal route into 2 groups of CSIRO-MVS Specific Pathogen Free chickens aged 1 to 2 days and 2 weeks, and into a group of day-old Muscovy ducks which were obtained from a commercial source. Serums which were obtained from these groups immediately prior to infection were sub- sequently examined with the IFA test and shown to be free of antibody to REV. Twelve of the 25 chickens inoculated when day-old developed moderate to severe feathering disorders 2 to 4 weeks after infection. Lesions

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included incomplete unfolding of the barbs in the mid- portion of the shafts of the developing primary and secondary wing feathers, similar to the condition recently described as “nakanuke” by Koyama et al (1976) and observed to be associated with REV infection of young chickens. In addition, rounded tufting of the vanes at the distal end of the feathers (Figure 1) were seen. The feathers of the older group of chickens and duck- lings developed normally.

Several of the chickens infected at day-old and showing nakanuke at 2 or 3 weeks of age were killed and monolayer cultures of their kidney cells were pre- pared on coverslips. Similar cell cultures were prepared from control chickens of the same age which had not been inoculated. At 2, 5 and 7 days after seeding, cell monolayers were fixed in acetone for subsequent ex- amination by the IFA test. Material harvested from cell cultures that had been prepared from chickens with nakanuke was passaged twice: first in SPF chicken kidney (CK) cell cultures and then in SPF chicken embryonic fibroblast (CEF) cultures. Coverslip prepara- tions of both types of cultures were fixed in acetone and subsequently examined in the IFA test. Surviving chickens in both age groups and ducklings were bled from the wing vein at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 14 weeks after initiation of the experiment.

Coverslip preparations were examined for evidence of proliferation of REV using the IFA test. Avian serums for the first incubation period in this test were diluted 1/20 in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.2. The second incubation utilised a commercially-available purified rabbit IgG prepared against chicken-IgG and conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate*. Coverslips were mounted in veronal-buffered glycerol-saline, pH 8.6, and examined by dark-field fluorescence micro- scopy. Appropriate positive and negative controls for * Miles. Laboratories Inc.. Elkhart, Indiana, United States of

Australian Veterinary Journal, Vol. 5 3 , October, 1977

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