title: Effects of acute lead ingestion and diet on antibody and T-cell-mediated immunity in Japanese quail.
abstract: This study investigated the interacting effects of acute lead exposure and different diets on antibody and T-cell-mediated immunity in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix). Nine quail (nine week old males) were assigned randomly to each group in a factorial experiment with four treatments and two diets. The treatments were 1) a positive control group fed 20 micrograms/g corticosterone, 2) a negative control group given no lead or corticosterone, 3) a low-lead group, and 4) a high-lead group. The low and high lead groups received 100 and 400 micrograms/ml lead as lead acetate in drinking water for 7 d. The two diets were poultry feed and ground corn. Control quail fed corn lost 13-14% of initial body mass, but lead-dosed quail fed corn lost 23-24%. All quail fed poultry feed gained body mass. On the corn diet, three high-lead and one low-lead quail died of lead poisoning. Corn increased the percentage of heterophils in white blood cells (P = 0.0018) and decreased lymphocytes (P = 0.019) and monocytes (P = 0.0073). There was marginal evidence that lead increased the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio in corn-fed quail (P = 0.064). Corn decreased the T-cell-mediated response to an intradermal injection of phytohemagglutinin (P = 0.0001). Corticosterone suppressed this response more than lead. In corn-fed quail, lead suppressed the primary total antibody response to immunization with chukar partridge (Alectoris graeca) erythrocytes (P < 0.05). Lead reduced the secondary total antibody and IgG responses in the low lead, corn group (P < 0.05). Lead suppressed antibody-mediated immunity only at dosages that also caused clinical lead poisoning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061-0321.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Grasman
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Scanlon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003370:Coturnix; D004032:Diet; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D007854:Lead