Gene Expression Responses To Riemerella Anatipestifer Infection In The Liver Of Ducks

Riemerella anatipestifer infection is one of the severest infectious diseases in farm ducks worldwide. It can infect many other poultry such as geese and turkey and so on. It is featured with sepsis and fibrous exudate。There are 21 serotypes reported internationally, but no cross protection phenomenon among these 21 serotypes has been observed, which brings difficulties to preventing this infection by using vaccine.Despite the great economic loss it caused in duck industry, the molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood, particularly the host response to R. anatipestifer infection. The differential expressed gene profile of the duck livers during R. anatipestifer infection was therefore investigated by using the suppression subtractive hybridizaton (SSH) analysis. A total of 45 differential expressed genes that encoded proteins involved in acute phase response, inflammatory response, immune response, wound healing and others functions were identified by PCR and dot blotting. The expression levels of twenty genes at 8h,24h and 48h were verified by real-time RT-PCR. All were differentially expressed following R. anatipestifer infection (P<0.05 or P<0.01).,which suggests that a series of physiological reactions (acute phase response, inflammatory response, immune response, wound healing etc.) were induced after the infection of RA to maintain the homeostasis, and to activate the immune system to recognize and defend pathogens.The results from this study revealed a gene expression profile of duck livers during R. anatipestifer infection, and these genes with a role in the immune response and in innate disease resistance deserving further investigation to elucidate their respective roles during infection.