Antibody production in bursectomized chickens given repeated injections of antigen.

Abstract

CHICKENS which have had their bursa of Fabricius removed at birth are unable to produce adequate quantities of antibody1. Assay of spleen sections from such bursectomized birds has revealed an almost complete failure of the pyroninophilic cells to proliferate after an intravenous injection of antigen2. In chickens, many basophilic lymphoid cells are situated outside the spleen and the bursa, and cells of the plasmacytic series are found scattered throughout the wall of the intestine, or accumulated in the tonsilla caecalis3. For this reason, it cannot be assumed that the deficiency in antibody formation of bursectomized chickens is absolute. Indeed, the present experiment demonstrates that the compromised antibody function of surgically bursectomized birds can be repaired by multiple injections of antigen.