Interferon-γ is expressed in both gut and spleen during Eimeria tenella infection

Author： Rothwell Lisa Muir Wendy Kaiser Pete

ISSN： 1465-3338

Source： Avian Pathology, Vol.29, Iss.4, 2000-08, pp. : 333-342

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

The effect of primary infection and subsequent challenge with Eimeria tenella on interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production in the spleen and caeca of Light Sussex chickens was assessed. The ability of splenocytes to proliferate and produce IFN-γ in response to mitogen stimulation ex vivo was determined. Differences in the kinetics of IFN-γ production suggested that the spleens of infected birds contain a subpopulation of T cells, primed to produce IFN-γ, which migrate from the spleen in response to a secondary infection. IFN-γ mRNA expression was detected by hybridization of an anti-sense chicken IFN-γ riboprobe to splenic sections from infected birds and caecal sections from challenged birds. Hybridization was to T-cell areas in the spleen, and to cells in the lamina propria and intraepithelial compartments of the caecum. This is the first direct demonstration of IFN-γ expression in chickens at the site of E. tenella infection, and also the first indication that IFN-γ may be involved in the immune response to challenge.