Marek’s Disease Virus-Specific T Cells Proliferate, Express Antiviral Cytokines but Have Impaired Degranulation Response

To determine differential functional abilities of T cells associated with resistance and susceptibility to Marek’s disease, scientists identified immunodominant CD4+TCRvβ1 T cell epitopes within the pp38 antigen of MDV in B19 and B21 MHC haplotype chickens using an ex vivo ELISPOT assay for chicken IFN-gamma.