Abstract
Alterations of the lymphoid populations within the gut mucosa are commonly associated with humoral immunodeficiency diseases in man. Chickens provide a unique animal model for the study of abnormalities occurring in humoral immune deficiency states since agammaglobulinemia and selective immunoglobulin deficiencies can be induced in this species. Two populations of mucosal lymphoid cells were obtained from the small intestine of chickens, using a mechanical separation technique. One population was derived from within the epithelium (intraepithelial lymphocytes), the second from within the lamina propria. Intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes did not proliferate in the presence of T or B mitogens as opposed to spleen; lamina propria contained more surface Ig-bearing cells than spleen and intraepithelial lymphocytes, and using a reverse hemolytic plaque assay, lamina propria but not the intraepithelial lymphocyte population was found to be rich in immunoglobulin-secreting cells relative to spleen. These preliminary studies demonstrated that gut mucosal lymphocytes can be obtained from chickens, and the study of these populations may provide insight into the pathophysiology of human gastrointestinal diseases.
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