The bursa of Fabricius: a trapping site for environmental antigens.
The entry of environmental antigens into the lumen of the bursa of Fabricius was prevented by ligating the bursal duct prior to hatching (BDL: bursal duct ligation). The development of 'natural' serum agglutinins for bacteria and heteroerythrocytes was markedly suppressed by BDL. The antigen-specific recovery was observed by simultaneous administration of sterile antigens into the bursal lumen at the time of BDL. These results strongly suggest that the bursa of Fabricius is a major channel through which environmental antigens stimulate the immune system and induce the formation of 'natural' serum agglutinins.
D000373:Agglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000276:immunology*; D002432:Cecum / Q000276:immunology; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D007700:Kinetics; D008026:Ligation
D000373:Agglutinins; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000941:Antigens; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial