Study of the immune response elicited by IBDV in chickens used in poultry production in Argentina.

JATON, JUAN; GRAVISACO, MARÍA JOSÉ; PINTO, SILVINA; CANET, ZULMA; LUCERO, MARÍA SOLEDAD; RICHETTA, MATÍAS; BERINSTEIN, ANALÍA; GOMEZ, EVANGELINA; CHIMENO ZOTH, SILVINA

Oxford

Congreso; XV Avian Immunology Research Group Meeting.; 2018

The hybrid chicken originated in the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) is distributed by the ProHUERTA Program, which promotes agroecological productive practices for self-supply, food education and alternative markets with an inclusive view for the producing families. It arises as the product of the cross between Barred Plymouth Rock females and Rhode Island Red males and it is used as a laying hen for the self-consumption of eggs. As expected, this hybrid has been characterized by productive parameters but the description from the immunological perspective is still an area of vacancy. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the immune response elicited in the INTA hybrid after infection with a field isolate of the Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in comparison with othercommercial layer lines. IBDV is the causative agent of a highly contagious viral disease that affects the bursa of Fabricius, leading to B lymphocytes depletion. Although most chickens are regularly vaccinated against IBDV, virus always generate negative impacts on production with significant economic losses.The experiment consisted in the infection of 28 day-old chickens with a single dose of IBDV. At 7 and 35 dpi, bursae were removed and different parameters were evaluated. Animals were weekly bled until 35 dpi and anti-IBDV antibodies were measured in the sera. Results revealed differences among chicken lines. The INTA hybrid showed the highest humoral response in all the time points analyzed. In addition, bursae of these animals presented infiltration of CD3+ T lymphocytes for a longer period of time and a delay in the appearance of severe histopathological signs. Results obtained in the present work encourage future experiments focused on different pathways and genes involved in mucosal immunity of the INTA hybrid and its implication in the degree of susceptibility to IBDV infection