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
                                            KIM, DUK KYUNG - VIS SCI, APDL, ARS, USDAitem
                                            Lillehoj, Hyunitem
                                            PARK, DONG WOON - VIS SCI, APDL, ARS, USDAitem
                                            LAMONT, SUSAN - IA STATE U., AMES, IAitem
                                            HAN, JAE YONG - SEOUL NAT UNIV, KOREAitem
                                            LILLEHOJ, ERIK - UNIV MD, SCH OF MED, BALT
  Submitted to: International Journal of Poultry Science
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 7/9/2008
                                    Publication  Date: 7/20/2008
                                    Citation: Kim, D., Lillehoj, H.S., Hong, Y.H., Park, D., Lamont, S.J., Han, J., Lillehoj, E.P. 2008. Immune-related gene expression in two genetically disparate fayoumi chicken lines following eimeria maxima infection. International Journal of Poultry Science. 87:433-443.Interpretive Summary: Coccidiosis is the major parasitic disease of poultry caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Eimera.  Avian coccidiosis causes significant economic losses to the world poultry industry due to reduction in production efficiency as a result of mortality, nutrient malabsorption, retarded growth rate, and decreased egg production.  Conventional disease control strategies have relied on prophylactic chemotherapy and vaccination, but both are not without serious drawbacks, and drug-resistant parasites and consumer apprehension concerning chemical residues in food hamper the use of coccidiostats, while the risk of clinical disease induced by live parasite vaccination is increasing.  Accordingly, numerous studies have been performed to identify alternative methods to control avian coccidiosis.  Genetic selection of disease resistance in commercial broiler chickens is considered by many as one of the best ways to achieve this goal and ultimately lead to the elimination of drugs in commercial poultry production. In this paper, ARS scientists collaborated with scientists at the Iowa State University, Seoul National University and University of Maryland to identify host genes which control coccidiosis susceptibility and to identify genetic basis for disease susceptibility differences in different chicken breeds. In this study, the Fayoumi breeds, which originated in Egypt, showed different disease resistance to coccidiosis. Investigation of their immune response at the molecular level demonstrated that the two Fayoumi lines show different gene expression of immune-related cytokines and chemokines following experimental infection with E. maxima.  The results of this study establish different host response of Fayoumi lines to coccidiosis challenge for the first time and provide experimental basis for future studies on the mechanisms of disease resistance in these chicken lines.
                                Technical Abstract: To investigate the influence of genetic differences in the major histocopatibility complex (MHC) on susceptibility to avian coccidiosis, M5.1 and M15.2 B-haplotype congenic Fayoumi chickens were orally infected with live Eimeria maxima oocysts and body weight gain, fecal oocyst production, and expression of a panel of immune-related genes were determined as parameters of protective immunity.  Weight loss was reduced and fecal parasite numbers were lower in M5.1 compared with M15.2 line birds.  Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes from M5.1 chickens expressed higher levels of transcripts encoding interferon-' (IFN-'), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17A, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-a factor (LITAF) and lower levels of mRNAs for IFN-a, IL-10, IL-17D, NK-lysin, and tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15 (TNFSF15), compared with the M15.2 line.  In the spleen, E. maxima infection was associated with higher expression levels of IFN-', IL-15, and IL-8 and lower levels of IL-6, IL-17D, and IL-12 in M5.1 vs. M15.2 birds.  These results suggest that genetic determinants within the chicken MHC influence resistance to E. maxima infection by controlling the local and systemic expression of immune-related cytokine and chemokine genes.


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