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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323536
Title: Interleukin-17A critically contributes to susceptibility to Riemerella anatipestifer infection

Author
item KIM, WOO - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item FERNANDEZ, CHERRY - Gyeongsang National University
item Lillehoj, Hyun
item MIN, WONGI - Gyeongsang National University

Submitted to: American Association for Immunology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Although IL-17 cytokines play critical roles in host defense immunity, dysregulated expression of these cytokines is associated with inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Riemerella anatipestifer (R. anatipestifer) is the most important infectious bacterium in the duck industry, and can cause up to a 75% mortality rate in ducks. Interestingly, not all avian species are equally susceptible to R. anatipestifer infection. In this study, ducks exhibited increased susceptibility to R. anatipestifer infection compared to chickens, as determined by mortality rate and bacterial burden. Comparative expression analyses of immune- related genes in R. anatipestifer-infected tissues and R. anatipestifer-stimulated splenic lymphocytes obtained from both species revealed that IL-17A is strongly associated with Riemerella infection in only ducks. Moreover, marked increases in the expression of IL-6, but not TGF-ß, was associated with Th17 cell differentiation in tissues from ducks, which were infected with R. anatipestifer. However, this did not happen in the R. anatipestifer-infected chickens. Furthermore, treatment with 3,3’-diindolylmethane (DIM) and berberine (BBR) ameliorated the detrimental effects of R. anatipestifer infection, as determined by decreases in mortality rate and bacterial burden, as well as the downregulation of IL-17A and IL-6 mRNA expression. Our results indicate that IL-17A upregulation may influence disease susceptibility to R. anatipestifer infection in ducks.