Abstract
Ecoimmunology is a burgeoning field of ecology which studies immune responses in wildlife by utilizing general immune assays such as the detection of natural antibody. Unlike adaptive antibodies, natural antibodies are important in innate immune responses and often recognized conserved epitopes present in pathogens. Here, we describe a procedure for measuring natural antibodies reactive to bacterial antigens that may be applicable to a variety of organisms. IgM from desert bighorn sheep plasma samples was tested for reactivity to outer membrane proteins from Vibrio coralliilyticus, a marine bacterium to which sheep would have not been exposed. Immunoblotting demonstrated bighorn sheep IgM could bind to a variety of bacterial cell envelope proteins while ELISA analysis allowed for rapid determination of natural antibody levels in hundreds of individual animals. Natural antibody levels were correlated with the ability of plasma to kill laboratory strains of E. coli bacteria. Finally, we demonstrate that natural antibody levels varied in two distinct populations of desert bighorn sheep. These data demonstrate a novel and specific measure of natural antibody function and show that this varies in ecologically relevant ways.
Highlights
Ecoimmunology seeks to explain variation in immunity within and among hosts by examining immunity in the context of the host’s ecology and life history
It is widely held that Natural antibodies (nAbs) are responsible for binding to foreign blood groups, not all nAbs may recognize foreign blood groups to the same extent that they recognize pathogenic bacteria signatures
Measuring erythrocyte agglutination may reflect the presence of natural antibodies with specificity for blood group antigens as opposed to bacterial products
Summary
Ecoimmunology seeks to explain variation in immunity within and among hosts by examining immunity in the context of the host’s ecology and life history. Because immune responses involve a complex network of protein and cellular signals and effectors, a central conundrum in the field of ecoimmunology is “what to measure” [1]. Eco-immunological assays must reliably quantify immune responses in non-model species, including wildlife. In designing eco-immunological assays, the challenge is two-fold: First, to identify immune components that are relevant, by demonstrating that their level is indicative of functional immune. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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