U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            YUN, CHEOL - NCI NIH BETHESDA MDitem
                                            Lillehoj, Hyunitem
                                            Zhu, Jamesitem
                                            MIN, WONGI - 1265-20-00
  Submitted to: Avian Diseases
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2000
                                    Publication  Date: N/A
                                    Citation: N/AInterpretive Summary: Coccidiosis is a major parasitic disease of poultry which costs a significant economic loss to the poultry industry worldwide.  The ability to develop a vaccine for coccidiosis would significantly reduce production losses due to this parasite and enhance US economy.  In this study, ARS scientists studied intestinal lymphocyte responses following coccidia  infection to understand the nature of protective host immune response to this parasite.  The results showed that coccidia infection induces changes in the percentages of thymus-derived lymphocytes in the intestine.  There was a significant increase of interferon-gamma production and CD4 cells at the time of parasite reduction indicating that these types of host immune responses are important in the elimination of coccidia parasites.  These results also indicate the importance of studying intestinal responses to understand host immunity to coccidiosis.  This study provides information  on the nature of host protective immunity to avian coccidiosis and will enhance the possibility of developing immunological control strategy against this infection.
                                Technical Abstract: Kinetic differences between systemic vs. intestinal and humoral vs. cellular immune responses were elucidated in chickens experimentally infected with Eimeria maxima by comparing IFN-gamma and parasite-specific antibody levels in the intestine and serum during the course of infection. The level of serum IFN-gamma correlated significantly with fecal oocyst  shedding (r2 = 0.97) thereby establishing the importance of cell-mediated immunity in coccidia infection. Moreover, intestinal IFN-gamma levels increased sooner than those in sera (4 vs. 6 days post-infection) and both were observed prior to the appearance of parasite-specific antibodies (8 - 10 days post-infection), again indicating the importance of intestinal cellular immunity in coccidiosis.  Although IgG, IgA and IgM immunoglobulin isotypes of the antigen-specific antibody response increased significantly in both the intestine and serum following E. maxima infection, intestinal  IgA-specific antibodies showed the most dramatic increase.  However, the relevance of this observation in the context of primary Eimeria infection is unclear since the coccidia parasites have reached the final stages of their life cycle by this time.  These results thus demonstrate the importance of T cell immune responses against coccidia, characterized by local IFN-gamma secretion in the intestine, in controlling parasite infection.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov