title: Immune system dysfunction during exposure to poult enteritis and mortality syndrome agents.
abstract: Poult Enteritis and Mortality Syndrome (PEMS) is a condition of yet undefined etiology. Affected flocks may exhibit 100% morbidity with mortality up to 50% or more between 2 to 4 wk of age. The current study reports the immune status of poults experimentally infected with PEMS agent(s) in various trials. When compared with the unchallenged controls, PEMS-infected poults had significant atrophy of the bursa (up to 2-fold), thymus (up to 11-fold), and spleen (up to 2-fold) (P < or = 0.05). When challenged with SRBC, PEMS-infected poults had 1 to 2 log2 lower anti-SRBC antibody titers than the controls (P < or = 0.05). Responsiveness to a mitogenic lectin, phytohemagglutinin-P, was reduced significantly in PEMS poults (P < or = 0.05). These data show that the immune system of the poults is compromised significantly during PEMS infection in terms of lymphoid organ integrity and humoral and cell-mediated immunity. These findings imply, therefore, that immune dysfunction may contribute to the mortality observed during PEMS outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7608, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Edens
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Havenstein
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001284:Atrophy; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000473:pathology; D004751:Enteritis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007107:Immune System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009929:Organ Size; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012756:Sheep; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D013577:Syndrome; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014422:Turkeys
chemical_list: D010835:Phytohemagglutinins