Immunomodulatory effect of baculovirus in chickens: how it modifies the immune response against IBDV

CHIMENO ZOTH, SILVINA; CARBALLEDA, JUAN MANUEL; GOMEZ, EVANGELINA; LUCERO, MARÍA SOLEDAD; RICHETTA, MATÍAS; GRAVISACO, MARÍA JOSÉ; BERINSTEIN, ANALÍA

Guelph

Encuentro; Avian Immunology Research Group Meeting; 2014

Avian Immunology Research Group

Baculoviruses (BVs) are dsDNA viruses which infect insects. They have been used as selected bioinsecticides and for the expression of heterologous proteins. Several reports showed that BVs have strong adjuvant properties on the mammalian immune system. Our group demonstrated that BV stimulates the innate immunity in chickens modifying the expression pattern of related genes and the profile of the immune cells involved. We also showed that BV has potential antiviral effect. In this work we studied the antiviral effect of BV against IBDV in a therapeutic approach. Chickens of 28 days received IBDV and at different times they were intravenously inoculated with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. Chickens were bled and euthanized when appropriated. RNA from bursa and duodenum were analyzed for cytokines production. Also, bursas were fixed for pathological examination, used for virus recover, and processed for lymphocyte isolation. Results showed that the administration of BV 3 hs after IBDV inoculation produced important changes in the effect that IBDV causes in bursa. BV reduced the infiltration of T lymphocytes, modified the expression pattern of IL-6 and γIFN and inhibited IBDV replication in the bursa. The present work encourages future assays to propose BV as an antiviral agent for chickens.