Biochemical changes in blood and uterine fluid of fowl following experimental EDS'76 virus infection

Summary The pH, PCO2, and pO2 values and the concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphorus, bicarbonate, base excess, protein, glucose, as well as the activity of alkaline phosphatase and malate dehydrogenase were determined in the venous blood and uterine fluid of control and EDS'76 virus‐infected fowl. Moreover, the pH of the mucosa of different parts of the oviduct was measured. Hens were examined in the period from 10 to 24 days following infection: blood and uterine fluid samples were collected approximately 14 hours after oviposition, provided a plumped egg was present in the uterus. Examination of blood and pH measurement of oviduct mucosa did not yield significant differences between infected and noninfected hens. In comparison with noninfected control birds, the mean sodium concentration of the uterine fluid of infected hens producing soft shelled or shell‐less eggs had evidently increased, while the mean concentration of potassium, calcium, magnesium and glucose h...