Distribution of immunoglobulin-positive cells in the mucosal tissues of growing cats.

Abstract

Fluorescent antibody tests were performed on the mucosal tissues of cats of various age for observation of immunoglobulin (Ig)-positive cells. IgG-positive cells, IgA-positive cells and IgM-positive cells were observed in the respiratory mucosa of 11-day-old to 3-month-old kittens. In the respiratory mucosa of kittens older than 6 months, IgA-positive cells were predominant with a few IgM-positive cells and a few IgG-positive cells. Both IgG- and IgM-positive cells were in larger numbers than IgA-positive cells in the intestinal mucosa in 11-day-old to 28-day-old kittens. Though IgA-positive cells predominated, considerable numbers of IgG- and IgM-positive cells were observed in the intestinal mucosa of cats older than 8 months of age. The appearance of IgA-positive cells occurred earlier in the respiratory and intestinal mucosa, and mesentric lymph nodes than in the spleen. Although the present investigation has been largely limited to a small number of animal, we argue that the distribution of Ig-positive cells in various tissues may be affected by age, and that the respiratory mucosa and intestinal mucosa differed remarkably from each other in the distribution of Ig-positive cells.