title: The influence of genetic background versus commercial breeding programs on chicken immunocompetence.
abstract: Immunocompetence of livestock plays an important role in farm profitability because it directly affects health maintenance. Genetics significantly influences the immune system, and the genotypic structure of modern fast-growing chickens has been changed, particularly after decades of breeding for higher production. Therefore, this study was designed to help determine if intensive breeding programs have adversely affected immunocompetence or whether the immune response profiles are controlled to greater extent by genetic background. Thus, 3 indigenous chicken populations from different genetic backgrounds and 2 globally available modern broiler strains, Ross 308 and Cobb 500, were evaluated for various aspects of immune response. These included antibody responses against sheep red blood cells and Brucella abortus antigen, as well as some aspects of cell-mediated immunocompetence by toe web swelling test and in vitro blood mononuclear cell proliferation. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in antibody responses to both antigens and cellular proliferation were observed among populations but not consistently between modern commercial strains versus the indigenous populations. In fact, the immune response profiles of Cobb 500 were similar to the indigenous populations, but varied compared with the other commercial strain. In addition, considerable variation was recorded between indigenous populations for all responses measured in this study. The results of this study suggest that the variation observed in immune responses between these strains of chickens is most likely due to differences in the genetic background between each strain of chicken rather than by commercial selection programs for high production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emam
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mehrabani-Yeganeh
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barjesteh
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nikbakht
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thompson-Crispi
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Charkhkar
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mallard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; C028784:phytohemagglutinin-P; D003208:Concanavalin A
keywords: commercial broiler; genetic background; immune response; indigenous chicken