Distinct genetic response to Newcastle disease virus infection during heat stress in chicken tracheal tissue.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a single-stranded RNA virus capable of impacting poultry health and welfare with its most virulent strain (velogenic). In addition, issues exacerbated by the increase in global temperatures necessitates a greater understanding of the host immune response when facing a combination of biotic and abiotic stress factors in poultry production. The findings presented here suggest that Fayoumis are responding more effectively and earlier than Leghorns and infection by NDV appears to elicit proinflammatory processes more rapidly in Fayoumis than in Leghorns. These differences in immune response converge at later timepoints which may indicate that Leghorns eventually regulate its immune response to respond to infection. This study contributes to the characterization of gene expression profiles of immunologically relevant tissues in two genetically distinct inbred chicken lines in response to NDV infection and persistent heat exposure. The profiling of the gene expression response in the trachea adds to our understanding of the chicken host response to NDV infection and heat stress on a whole genome level and provides potential candidate genes and pathways for further investigation into the characterization of the time-specific and pathway specific response in Fayoumis and Leghorns. Given the importance of combating infection prior to pathogens establishing a foothold in the host, further investigation into the timepoints immediately following infection should be investigated.