title: Group selection for adaptation to multiple-hen cages: humoral immune response.
abstract: A selected line of White Leghorns, which has shown improved survivability and reduced feather loss in large multiple-hen cages, was evaluated for humoral immune response to SRBC under both stressed and unstressed conditions. Three lines of chickens (selected, control, and commercial) were housed in either single- (1 hen) or multiple-hen cages (12 hens, social competition) and subjected to a cold ambient temperature (0 C) at 33 wk of age and to two heating episodes (38 C) at 44 wk of age. Each hen was challenged intravenously with 1 mL of a 7% saline suspension of SRBC at the time that cold exposure was initiated. Hens subjected to high ambient temperatures had been exposed previously to a cold temperature, but were not challenged with SRBC until 16 to 18 h following the end of the second heating episode. Exposure to cold caused immunosuppression in single-caged hens, but not in hens in colony cages. Single- vs colony-caged hens of the control environment challenged with SRBC at 33 wk of age had similar primary hemagglutinin responses to SRBC. Hens subjected to heat experienced immunosuppression at 9 and 12 d following challenge to SRBC when compared to the controls. Hens of multiple-bird cages challenged with antigen at 44 wk of age had a significantly lower hemagglutinin response to SRBC than those reared in single-bird cages. The three lines of genetic stock had similar primary hemagglutinin responses to SRBC; the interactions of genetic stock with cage size or environmental temperature were not significant. It was concluded that genetically selecting hens for survival in multiple-hen cages did not affect their humoral immune response to SRBC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Craig
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006799:Housing, Animal; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies