Predomination of CD8+ lymphocytes in synovial fluid of chickens with experimentally induced infectious synovitis

Abstract

The natural and experimental infection with Mycoplasma synoviae in chickens causes not only infection of the upper respiratory tract but also results in infectious synovitis, an arthritis which is regarded as an autoimmune disease due to its typical histological and immunological symptoms. In all arthritic diseases as well as in infectious synovitis T cells seem to play a major role in the development, maintenance and resolution of disease. Using monoclonal antibodies against different chicken T cell marker molecules we demonstrate predomination of CD8^+a /b TCR cells in synovial fluid of experimentally induced infectious synovitis.