Transmission of antibodies to Chlamydia Psittaci and Coxiella Burnetii through eggs and “crop milk” in pigeons

Kocianová, Elena; Rehácek, J; Lisák, V

doi:10.1007/bf00158794

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Unlike mammals, both male and female pigeons produce pigeon milk ( Gillespie et al, 2012 ). Pigeon milk contains protein (60%), fat (32–36%), carbohydrate (1–3%), minerals (calcium, potassium, sodium, and phosphorus), and antibodies ( Davies, 1939 ; Kocianova et al, 1993 ). Up to 7 days of age, squabs mainly rely on pigeon milk to obtain nutrients, while between 8 and 14 days of age, the pigeon milk includes a large amount of food initially digested by their parents ( Horseman and Buntin, 1995 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs

et al. 2020

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Mammalian neonates obtain antibodies, nutrients, and microbiota from breast milk that help them resist the complex growth environment. Similar to mammals’ lactation behavior for their offspring, parent pigeons regurgitate pigeon milk (PM) from their crops to feed the squabs. Whether pigeon milk is as valuable as mammalian milk is not clear, especially in terms of microbiota. This study adopted 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the microbial composition and function in pigeon milk. We found abundant microbiota in pigeon milk. The dominant genera in parent pigeons’ milk were Lactobacillus , Enterococcus , Veillonella , and Bifidobacterium . An analysis of squab milk (SM) showed that Lactobacillus also accounted for a considerable proportion, followed by Bifidobacterium . Most of the squab milk microbial genera were also detected in parent pigeons. Microbial functional analysis showed that the squab milk microbes were more involved in the pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and energy metabolism. These findings indicated that microbiota play an important role in squabs and can be transmitted from parent pigeons to squabs by pigeon milk. The presence of plentiful probiotics in squabs also suggests that adding probiotics in artificial pigeon milk may promote the growth and development of squabs and improve the production performance of pigeons.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs

et al. 2020

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“…Conversely, in a 1952 study where pigeon 'milk' was fed to chickens, their rate of growth improved by 38% [6]. Since this study, it has been shown that pigeon 'milk' contains IgA antibodies [7,8], which provides further evidence to suggest that it is more than a nutrient based substance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Histological and global gene expression analysis of the 'lactating' pigeon crop

et al. 2011

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BackgroundBoth male and female pigeons have the ability to produce a nutrient solution in their crop for the nourishment of their young. The production of the nutrient solution has been likened to lactation in mammals, and hence the product has been called pigeon 'milk'. It has been shown that pigeon 'milk' is essential for growth and development of the pigeon squab, and without it they fail to thrive. Studies have investigated the nutritional value of pigeon 'milk' but very little else is known about what it is or how it is produced. This study aimed to gain insight into the process by studying gene expression in the 'lactating' crop.ResultsMacroscopic comparison of 'lactating' and non-'lactating' crop reveals that the 'lactating' crop is enlarged and thickened with two very obvious lateral lobes that contain discrete rice-shaped pellets of pigeon 'milk'. This was characterised histologically by an increase in the number and depth of rete pegs extending from the basal layer of the epithelium to the lamina propria, and extensive proliferation and folding of the germinal layer into the superficial epithelium. A global gene expression profile comparison between 'lactating' crop and non-'lactating' crop showed that 542 genes are up-regulated in the 'lactating' crop, and 639 genes are down-regulated. Pathway analysis revealed that genes up-regulated in 'lactating' crop were involved in the proliferation of melanocytes, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, the adherens junction and the wingless (wnt) signalling pathway. Gene ontology analysis showed that antioxidant response and microtubule transport were enriched in 'lactating' crop.ConclusionsThere is a hyperplastic response in the pigeon crop epithelium during 'lactation' that leads to localised cellular stress and expression of antioxidant protein-encoding genes. The differentiated, cornified cells that form the pigeon 'milk' are of keratinocyte lineage and contain triglycerides that are likely endocytosed as very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and repackaged as triglyceride in vesicles that are transported intracellularly by microtubules. This mechanism is an interesting example of the evolution of a system with analogies to mammalian lactation, as pigeon 'milk' fulfils a similar function to mammalian milk, but is produced by a different mechanism.

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“…However, it is still unclear whether such antibodies cross the gut barrier of the young (Apanius 1998). Postnatal transmission of antibodies is believed to be particularly important in altricial species with similar postnatal feeding to pigeons, as it could limit the transmission of infections through regurgitation of infected materials (Brand 1989; Kocianova, Rehacek & Lisak 1993). Similar mechanisms could have evolved in other bird species through the transmission of antibodies in the saliva (Apanius 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal and postnatal parental effects on immunity and growth in ‘lactating’ pigeons

et al. 2012

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Summary1. Parental effects can have profound consequences on offspring phenotype. Still, little is known about the relative influence of prenatal versus postnatal parental effects of parasite exposure of parents on offspring traits. 2. In this study, we investigated the respective role of a prenatal and a postnatal immune challenge of parent feral pigeons (Columba livia) on offspring humoral immunity, growth and survival. We used a cross-fostering design and antigen injections in biological and foster parents. Feral pigeons are particularly suitable for studying the effects of parental immune challenges because they can affect the phenotype of their young through the transmission of prenatal antibodies in the egg and postnatal antibodies in the 'crop milk', a substance produced in the crop of both parents. 3. Results show that a prenatal immune challenge of biological parents with keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) antigen decreased the humoral response against KLH of nestlings injected at 14 days of age. In contrast, a postnatal immune challenge of foster parents with KLH enhanced the humoral response of 1-year-old juveniles exposed to a second KLH injection, but only when these juveniles had received their first injection at 3 days of age. 4. No effect on nestling and juvenile response to another antigen (NDV) was observed, indicating that the changes in humoral responses were specific to the KLH injected in parents. In addition to this, prenatal and postnatal parental immune challenges had an interaction effect on fledging body mass, but no effect on juvenile survival. 5. This study shows that pre-and postnatal exposure to antigens in parents has contrasted effects on offspring humoral response and growth. Moreover, it shows that the timing of an early exposure to antigens in nestlings has important effects on their specific humoral response. 6. This study thus suggests that pre-and postnatal parental effects have distinct roles in shaping the phenotype of the offspring on different time scales and calls for further investigations on the potential adaptive role of combined parental effects. Moreover, it suggests that pigeon milk has positive effects on offspring humoral immunity and thus could potentially have a similar immune role as mammalian milk.

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Transmission of antibodies to Chlamydia Psittaci and Coxiella Burnetii through eggs and “crop milk” in pigeons

Cited by 9 publications

References 3 publications

The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs

The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs

Histological and global gene expression analysis of the 'lactating' pigeon crop

Prenatal and postnatal parental effects on immunity and growth in ‘lactating’ pigeons

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