title: Increased biodiversity in the environment improves the humoral response of rats.
abstract: Previous studies have compared the immune systems of wild and of laboratory rodents in an effort to determine how laboratory rodents differ from their naturally occurring relatives. This comparison serves as an indicator of what sorts of changes might exist between modern humans living in Western culture compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. However, immunological experiments on wild-caught animals are difficult and potentially confounded by increased levels of stress in the captive animals. In this study, the humoral immune responses of laboratory rats in a traditional laboratory environment and in an environment with enriched biodiversity were examined following immunization with a panel of antigens. Biodiversity enrichment included colonization of the laboratory animals with helminths and co-housing the laboratory animals with wild-caught rats. Increased biodiversity did not apparently affect the IgE response to peanut antigens following immunization with those antigens. However, animals housed in the enriched biodiversity setting demonstrated an increased mean humoral response to T-independent and T-dependent antigens and increased levels of "natural" antibodies directed at a xenogeneic protein and at an autologous tissue extract that were not used as immunogens.
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: Cinthia
authors: C
authors: Pi
authors: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.
authors: Emma H
authors: EH
authors: Allott
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Ren
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Poulton
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: S Y Ryan
authors: SY
authors: Lee
authors: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Biomedical Sciences Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Perkins
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: Mary Lou
authors: ML
authors: Everett
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: Zoie E
authors: ZE
authors: Holzknecht
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: Shu S
authors: SS
authors: Lin
authors: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America.
authors: William
authors: W
authors: Parker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D044822:Biodiversity; D001835:Body Weight / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007114:Immunization; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D007136:Immunoglobulins