Flow cytometric characterization of Peyer's patch and cecal tonsil T lymphocytes in laying hens following challenge with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis
There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Two trials were conducted to determine T cell changes in Peyer's patches (PP) and
cecal tonsils (CT) of specific-pathogen-free Single-Comb White Leghorn hens challenged
with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE). Each week, crop lavage samples
were obtained from 4 or 3 hens in Trials 1 and 2, respectively. These birds were then
sacrificed and their intestinal tracts excised. The crop sample and contents of one
cecum from each hen were cultured for the presence of SE. Cells were purified from
proximal and distal PP along with both CT and then aliquots of cells were incubated
with antibodies to CD4, CD8, and the three T cell receptors (TCR). The T subsets were
identified via flow cytometric analysis. Crop and cecal samples were 100% culture
positive for SE at week 1 post challenge and a percentage of samples remained positive
throughout the study. Some differences in TCR subsets between or within tissues were
observed at various times relative to SE challenge but over-all the subsets remained
similar during the study. The predominant TCR was TCR2 (vbeta1) followed by TCR3 (vbeta2).
Low numbers of TCR1 (gammadelta) cells were observed. CD4/CD8 ratios increased in
the PP and CT tissues by week 1 post challenge and the ratio elevation persisted throughout
the experiment. These results indicate that T cell populations are comparable between
PP and CT and enteric SE infection can affect the cellular dynamics of these lymphoid
tissues.