The Bacterial Cell Wall Components Lipopolysaccharide and Peptidoglycan Initiate Divergent Local Tissue and Systemic Inflammatory Response Profiles in the Chicken Model.

The innate immune system plays an important role in the defense against pathogens, whereby the ability to rapidly mount an effective inflammatory response is critical in the elimination/containment of the infection. To better understand the nature of the inflammatory responses to bacterial components in chickens, we used the growing feather (GF) cutaneous bioassay together with blood sampling to examine the local and systemic inflammatory responses initiated by intradermal (i.d.

Local Inflammatory and Systemic Antibody Responses Initiated by a First Intradermal Administration of Autogenous -Killed Vaccines and Their Components in Pullets.

Vaccination strategies are used to manage in chickens. -killed vaccines are considered safer since they are inactivated. However, little is known regarding the cellular immune activities at the site of vaccine administration of -killed vaccines.

Cage-Free Pullets Minimally Affected by Stocking Density Stressors.

Management choices during the pullet phase can affect behavior, welfare, and health later in life, but few studies have evaluated the pullet phase, particularly in extensive housing systems. This study was a 2 × 2 factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two strains and two stocking densities. The Lohmann LB-Lite and Lohmann LSL-Lite were housed on the floor at high-stocking density (619-670 cm/bird) and low-stocking density (1249-1352 cm/bird), which changed with age from 2 to 16 weeks of age (WOA).

Spontaneous immunological activities in the target tissue of vitiligo-prone Smyth and vitiligo-susceptible Brown lines of chicken.

Introduction: Vitiligo is an acquired de-pigmentation disorder characterized by the post-natal loss of epidermal melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) resulting in the appearance of white patches in the skin. The Smyth chicken is the only model for vitiligo that shares all the characteristics of the human condition including: spontaneous post-natal loss of epidermal melanocytes, interactions between genetic, environmental and immunological factors, and associations with other autoimmune diseases. In addition, an avian model for vitiligo has the added benefit of an easily accessible target tissue (a growing feather) that allows for the repeated sampling of an individual and thus the continuous monitoring of local immune responses over time.

The Immuno-Suppressive Effects of Cyclic, Environmental Heat Stress in Broiler Chickens: Local and Systemic Inflammatory Responses to an Intradermal Injection of Lipopolysaccharide.

To assess effects of environmental heat stress (HS) on the local and systemic inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), broilers were reared under thermoneutral (TN) or cyclic HS conditions. Thermoneutral temperatures followed commercial production settings, with HS broilers exposed to 35 °C for 14 h/day from 4 days onward. At 37 days, HS- and TN-broilers were assigned to either LPS (100 μg/mL) or endotoxin-free phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; vehicle) treatments, eight each to HS- and TN-LPS, four each to HS- and TN-PBS.

Experimental Cyclic Heat Stress on Intestinal Permeability, Bone Mineralization, Leukocyte Proportions and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens.

The goal of this research was to assess cyclic heat stress on gut permeability, bone mineralization, and meat quality in chickens. Two separate trials were directed. 320 day-of-hatch Cobb 500 male chicks were randomly assigned to four thermoneutral (TN) and four cyclic heat stress (HS) chambers with two pens each, providing eight replicates per treatment in each trial (n = 20 chicks/replicate).

Immune Activities in Choroids of Visually Impaired Smyth Chickens With Autoimmune Vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a common dermatological disorder affecting 1-2% of the world's population. It is characterized by postnatal, autoimmune destructions of melanocytes in the skin, resulting in patches of depigmentation. Autoimmunity in vitiligo may also affect melanocytes in non-integumental tissues, including the eyes where choroidal melanocytes are the target of the autoimmune response.

Inclusion Reverses Circulating Pro-inflammatory (Chemo)cytokine Profiles in Broilers Fed Low-Protein Diets.

Proteins are considered the most expensive nutrients in commercial modern broiler production, and their dietary inclusion at low levels is pivotal to minimize feed costs and reduce nitrogen waste. The quest for an environmentally friendly source of proteins that favor the formulation of low protein diets without compromising broiler health, welfare, and growth performance has become a hotspot in nutrition research. Due to its high protein content, the naturally growing microalgae is considered a promising nutrient source.

Local and systemic inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide in broilers: new insights using a two-window approach.

The inflammatory response involves a complex interplay of local tissue activities designed to recruit leukocytes and proteins from the blood to the infected tissue. For egg-type chickens, we established the growing feather (GF) as an accessible tissue test site to monitor tissue responses to injected test-material. For commercial broilers, whose health depends to a large extent on innate immune system functions, the GF test system offers an important novel window to directly assess their natural defenses.

Infection and Persistence in Feathers of a Chicken Model Harboring a Local Autoimmune Response.

Herpesvirus of turkey (HVT) is commonly used as a vaccine to protect chickens against Marek's disease. Following vaccination, HVT infects feathers where it can be detected in all chicken lines examined. Unlike the parental Brown line (BL), Smyth line (SL) chickens develop vitiligo, due to autoimmune destruction of melanocytes in feathers.

Isolated Rearing at Lactation Increases Gut Microbial Diversity and Post-weaning Performance in Pigs.

Environment and diet are two major factors affecting the human gut microbiome. In this study, we used a pig model to determine the impact of these two factors during lactation on the gut microbiome, immune system, and growth performance. We assigned 80 4-day-old pigs from 20 sows to two rearing strategies at lactation: conventional rearing on sow's milk (SR) or isolated rearing on milk replacer supplemented with solid feed starting on day 10 (IR).

CD4+ T cells dominate the leukocyte infiltration response initiated by intra-dermal injection of phytohemagglutinin into growing feathers in chickens.

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) is commonly used to evaluate cell-mediated immunocompetence. In chickens, PHA is typically injected intra-dermally (i.d.

T lymphocytes dominate local leukocyte infiltration in response to intradermal injection of functionalized graphene-based nanomaterial.

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBN) have many potential biomedical applications. However, information regarding their biological properties and interactions with cells and/or soluble factors within a complex tissue is limited. The objective of this study was to use the growing feather (GF) of chickens as a minimally invasive cutaneous test-site to assess and monitor leukocyte recruitment in response to intradermal GBN injection.

The growing feather as a dermal test site: Comparison of leukocyte profiles during the response to Mycobacterium butyricum in growing feathers, wattles, and wing webs.

Using the response to Mycobacterium butyricum as the test-immune response, the main goal of this study was to demonstrate the suitability of the growing feather (GF) as a dermal test site and window into in vivo cellular/tissue responses (US-Patent 8,216,551). Using M. butyricum immunized chickens, the specific objectives were to: 1) compare the leukocyte infiltration response to intra-dermally injected M.

Genome resequencing and bioinformatic analysis of SNP containing candidate genes in the autoimmune vitiligo Smyth line chicken model.

Background: The Smyth line (SL) chicken is the only animal model for autoimmune vitiligo that spontaneously displays all clinical and biological manifestations of the human disorder. To understand the genetic components underlying the susceptibility to develop SL vitiligo (SLV), whole genome resequencing analysis was performed in SLV chickens compared with non-vitiliginous parental Brown line (BL) chickens, which maintain a very low incidence rate of vitiligo.

Results: Illumina sequencing technology and reference based assembly on Red Jungle Fowl genome sequences were used.

A quantitative trait locus for ascites on chromosome 9 in broiler chicken lines.

A genome-wide SNP survey was used to identify chromosomal regions that showed linkage disequilibrium with respect to ascites susceptibility and ventricular hypertrophy in an F2 cross between previously described ascites-resistant and -susceptible lines. Variable number tandem repeats were used to obtain genotype data to further characterize these regions. A region on chromosome 9 (12 to 13 Mbp in 2011 assembly) shows association with ascites in the ascites lines and in several commercial broiler breeder lines with a significant sex effect.

Acquisition of immunity to the protozoan parasite Eimeria adenoeides in turkey poults and cellular responses to infection.

Newly hatched turkey poults were infected with 10(2) oocysts of Eimeria adenoeides and subsequently reinfected with 10(3) and 10(4) oocysts at 6 and 12 d of age, respectively. Three peaks in oocyst production were observed in the feces of poults following this series of infections. A second group of poults given the same dosing regimen was challenged with 5 × 10(4) oocysts/poult at different times to evaluate the acquisition of immunity.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (ascites syndrome) in broilers: a review.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) syndrome in broilers (also known as ascites syndrome and pulmonary hypertension syndrome) can be attributed to imbalances between cardiac output and the anatomical capacity of the pulmonary vasculature to accommodate ever-increasing rates of blood flow, as well as to an inappropriately elevated tone (degree of constriction) maintained by the pulmonary arterioles. Comparisons of PAH-susceptible and PAH-resistant broilers do not consistently reveal differences in cardiac output, but PAH-susceptible broilers consistently have higher pulmonary arterial pressures and pulmonary vascular resistances compared with PAH-resistant broilers. Efforts clarify the causes of excessive pulmonary vascular resistance have focused on evaluating the roles of chemical mediators of vasoconstriction and vasodilation, as well as on pathological (structural) changes occurring within the pulmonary arterioles (e.

Efficient separation and sensitive detection of Listeria monocytogenes using an impedance immunosensor based on magnetic nanoparticles, a microfluidic chip, and an interdigitated microelectrode.

Listeria monocytogenes continues to be a major foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning, and sometimes death, among immunosuppressed people and abortion among pregnant women. In this study, magnetic nanoparticles with a diameter of 30 nm were functionalized with anti-L. monocytogenes antibodies via biotin-streptavidin bonds to become immunomagnetic nanoparticles (IMNPs) to capture L.

Immunohistochemical examination of plexiform-like complex vascular lesions in the lungs of broiler chickens selected for susceptibility to idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a disease of unknown cause that is characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, and by extensive vascular remodelling. In human IPAH patients, remodelling of the pulmonary vasculature results in the formation of plexiform lesions in the terminal pulmonary arterioles. Various molecules are expressed in the human plexiform lesions, including alpha smooth muscle actin, von Willebrand factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2, hypoxia inducible factor-1α, survivin, tenascin, collagen, fibronectin, and various immune/inflammatory cells such as, cytotoxic lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, MHC class II cells, and monocytes/macrophages are also present.

Understanding mechanisms of vitiligo development in Smyth line of chickens by transcriptomic microarray analysis of evolving autoimmune lesions.

Background: The Smyth line (SL) of chicken is an excellent avian model for human autoimmune vitiligo. The etiology of vitiligo is complicated and far from clear. In order to better understand critical components leading to vitiligo development, cDNA microarray technology was used to compare gene expression profiles in the target tissue (the growing feather) of SL chickens at different vitiligo (SLV) states.

Consumer acceptance of visual appearance of broiler breast meat with varying degrees of white striping.

White striping is a condition associated with heavier broiler breast fillets and is observed grossly as white striations seen parallel to the direction of the muscle fibers. The present study was intended to assess the consumer acceptance of broiler fillets with different degrees of white striping condition. High resolution digital images of fillets, representative of varying degrees of white striping, were shown to 75 consumers in a blind study.

IFN-γ, IL-21, and IL-10 co-expression in evolving autoimmune vitiligo lesions of Smyth line chickens.

The Smyth line (SL) of chicken is an excellent animal model for human autoimmune vitiligo. In SL vitiligo (SLV), postnatal loss of melanocytes in feathers appears to be due to cell-mediated immunity. In this study, leukocyte infiltration and associated expression (RNA) of immune function-related cytokines in growing feathers were investigated throughout SLV development and progression.

Cellular immune responses, chemokine, and cytokine profiles in Turkey poults following infection with the intestinal parasite Eimeria adenoeides.

Cellular immune responses, chemokine, and cytokine profiles were investigated in 20-d-old turkey poults following an oral infection with 12.5 × 10(3) oocysts of Eimeria adenoeides, a protozoan parasite of the genus Eimeria that develops in the ceca. Large numbers of oocysts were produced in the feces of infected birds from d 5 after infection followed by a rapid decline by d 7.