Intestinal immune response to chicken Coccidiosis in the context of Th1 and Th17 response

Authors: KIM, WOOHYUN - Gyeongsang National University; Lillehoj, Hyun

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/2/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Coccidiosis is one of the most economically important diseases of the chickens caused by several different Eimeria spp. The primary target tissue of Eimeria parasites is the intestinal mucosa and coccidiosis infection destroys intestinal epithelium resulting in nutrient malabsorption, body weight loss, and in severe cases, death. In the context of adaptive T cell immunity, it has been shown that IFN-'-mediated Th1 response is dominant in Eimeria infection. However, since the discovery of Th17 lineage in the early 2000s, it has become clear that Th17 cells play an important role in host defense in various infections and in inflammatory conditions, especially at mucosal surface. In order to determine if Th17 component of host response is induced by Eimeria infection and to understand its role in the course of coccidiosis, we investigated the expression levels of Th17-related cytokines at the intestinal site of E. tenella-infected chickens. We also measured Th1 cells-related cytokines. There was a significant increase in the percentages of cells expressing CD4+IFN-'+ and CD4+IL-17A+ in E. tenella-infected cecum with increasing number of parasites in the intestine. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of IL-17A and IFN-' increased in the Eimeria antigen-stimulated splenic CD4+ cells at the same time when the Th1- and Th17-related cytokines were increased in Eimeria-infected tissues. Collectively, this study demonstrates that the both Th1 and Th17 immune responses are implicated in E. tenella infection in chickens.