[Diagnosis of avian encephalomyelitis].

The diagnostic value of laboratory examination methods was assessed in the diagnosis of avian encephalomyelitis in seven to twenty-two days old chickens. Histological examination and immunofluorescent test are expedient methods meeting the requirements for timely application of infection-control measures. The agreement of histological examination with the over-all laboratory examination is 70 to 81% and the agreement of the immunofluorescence test is 76%. Bioassay on chickens followed by a histological examination appears to be the best method, providing results with the highest significance. However, it is lengthy, applicable to the necessary demonstration of a virus or to cases when the histological or immunofluorescence examinations are dubious. With the over-all laboratory evaluation the method shows agreement in 95 to 100% of cases. The diagnostic value of the method of virus isolation in chick embryos is reduced by the fact that intercurrent viruses (adenoviruses, IB and others) may be passaged at the same time.