Maternal vitamin E alters passively acquired immunity of chicks.
Passively transferred antibody levels were significantly increased in plasma of two- and seven-day-old chicks when the dams were fed 150 and 450 p.p.m. vitamin E prior to immunization with Brucella abortus. However, if the hens were fed 90, 300 and 900 p.p.m. vitamin E before immunization, the chicks evidenced no increase in antibody titers relative to controls. This nonlinear antibody response by the reticulo-endothelial system to vitamin E confirms in Gallus domesticus similar results reported for other species.
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D014810:Vitamin E