In vivo Biologic Effects of Recombinant-Turkey Interferon-Gamma in Neonatal Leghorn Chicks: Protection against Salmonella enteritidis Organ Invasion

Abstract

Interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) has been demonstrated to have potent stimulatory effects on parameters of cell-mediated immunity in chickens (11). Protection of neonatal leghorn chickens against infection by invasive salmonellae has been associated with enhanced cell-mediated indices of immunity (5). The present investigation evaluated the effect of recombinant-turkey (rt) IFN-gamma on protection of neonatal leghorn chicks from Salmonella enteritidis (SE) organ invasion after experimental challenge in three experiments. In Expt. 1, intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 25 microg rtIFNgamma per chick 30 min prior to per os SE challenge resulted in a 35% reduction (P < 0.01) in SE organ invasion when compared with control (vehicle injected) chicks 24 hr post-SE challenge. However, i.p. administration of 2.5 microg rtIFNy per chick was not efficacious in reducing SE organ invasion. In Expt. 2 and Expt. 3, i.p. administration of 13.75 microg rtIFNgamma per chick 30 min prior to per os SE challenge resulted in significant reductions of 38.4% (P < 0.025) and 31.58% (P < 0.01), respectively, in SE organ invasion as compared with control chicks 24 hr post-SE challenge. Administration of 2.5 or 25 microg rtIFNgamma per chick i.p. had no effect on SE organ invasion in either Expt. 2 or Expt. 3 24 hr post-SE challenge. Additionally, i.p. administration of rtIFNgamma 30 min prior to SE challenge in Expt. 2 and Expt. 3 was not associated with protection against SE organ invasion when organ culture was performed 72 hr postchallenge. Further, the oral administration of 25 microg rtIFNgamma per chick was not efficacious in conferring protection against SE organ invasion at 24 or 72 hr postchallenge when this route of administration was evaluated in Expt. 2. Similarly, the subcutaneous administration of a potential repository injection of 13.75 or 25 microg rtIFNgamma per chick did not protect chicks against SE organ invasion when evaluated 72 hr postchallenge. These data indicate a potential acute immunostimulatory activity of rtIFNgamma in chickens experimentally challenged with SE. Further, these experiments, although preliminary, are suggestive of the potential involvement of IFNgamma in cell-mediated or innate mechanisms of protective immunity against salmonellosis in chickens.

Vaccination and early protection against non-host-specific Salmonella serotypes in poultry: exploitation of innate immunity and microbial activity

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Salmonella infections: immune and non-immune protection with vaccines

“…An important role of early CD8 + T cells as a representative population of cell-mediated immunity was shown after primary Salmonella infection in young chicks . The importance of cell-mediated immune mechanisms in systemic clearance of S. Enteritidis in chickens was recently investigated by Farnell et al (Farnell et al , 2001). In this study, intraperitoneal administration of recombinant IFN-γ resulted in a decrease in organ colonization after oral S. Enteritidis infection.…”

Protective efficacy and immune responses by homologous prime-booster immunizations of a novel inactivatedSalmonellaGallinarum vaccine candidate

“…4 ). IFN-γ is the major Th1 cytokine which play an important role in protection against Salmonella infection in avian hosts [ 44 46 47 48 ]. The most likely mechanism by which IFN-γ exerts its functions in host defense against Salmonella is the activation of macrophages to induce NO production [ 49 50 ] and MHC class II expression [ 51 ].…”