Response, tolerance and ignorance following oral exposure to a single dietary protein antigen in Gallus domesticus.
The objective of this investigation was to analyze conditions leading to antibody responses against innocuous dietary protein antigens in the chick. The physical form of antigen was found to be important for immunization of mature chicks: bovine serum albumin (BSA) in solution was a powerful immunogen, while BSA powder was ignored. When BSA was fed to newly hatched chicks, either in solution or as powder, specific oral tolerance was induced. Tolerance increased with the dose of antigen fed, and was most effective in suppressing BSA-specific oral immunization. Hence, immune responses of mature chicks to innocuous dietary proteins are not likely to constitute a health hazard due to (a) prevalence of oral tolerance induced at hatch, and (b) availability of dietary proteins in solid form.
Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Quality Sciences, Section of Immunology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PO Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
E
E
Klipper
D
D
Sklan
A
A
Friedman
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000276:immunology*
D004044:Dietary Proteins; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine