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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #68998
Title: IMMUNOPHYSICAL RESPONSES OF NEONATAL PIGS TO A PERIPHERAL LIPOPOLY- SACCHARIDE (LPS) CHALLENGE

Author
item Klir, John
item Matteri, Robert

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science Supplement
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/26/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: To study responses of neonatal pigs to LPS challenge, 1, 21, or 28 d old pigs were injected with LPS (150 ug/kg, ip) or saline. Rectal temperature (Tr) was measured at injection time (0 h), and 1, 2, and 3 h later. At 3 h, pigs were sacrificed and blood was collected to determine serum TNF and cortisol. All LPS pigs developed sickness (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, somnolescence, and anorexia). The 21- and 28-d old LPS pigs developed a brief fever (0.50 +/ 0.08 and 0.44 +/ 0.20 deg C mean Tr increase, respectively; P<.05) at 1 h. Mean Trs at 0, 1, 2, and 3 h in LPS 1-d old pigs were 39.09 +/ 0.11, 38.86 +\ 0.20, 37.76 +/ 0.46, and 38.05 +/ 0.56 deg C, respectively, revealing a significant (P<.05) hypothermia at 2 and 3 h. Serum TNF at 3 h was significantly elevated (P<.05) in only 21- and 28- d old LPS pigs. TNF in 1-, 21-, and 28-d old LPS vs saline pigs was 0.91 +/ 0.21 vs 0.40 +/ 0.06, 2.13 +/ 0.37 vs 0.40 +/ 0.05, and 2.09 +/ 0.41 vs 0.46 +/ 0.08 ng/ml, respectively (LPS, P<.0001; Age, P<.05; LPS x Age, P<.05). Corresponding cortisol was 231.14 +/ 14.42 vs 82.39 +/ 16.79, 353.34 +/ 19.66 vs 14.11 +/ 1.68, and 373.63 +/ 51.02 vs 69.23 +/ 15.50 ng/ml, (LPS, P<.0001; Age, P<.05; LPS x Age, P<.01). When an additional group of 1-d old pigs was isolated and not allowed to nurse for 5 h, mean Tr remained constant, indicating that the hypothermia observed in the 1-d old LPS pigs was not a result of insufficient metabolic heat production due to the LPS-induced anorexia. These results demonstrate significant age- dependent differences in critical aspects of the acute phase response to infection, namely fever generation and cytokine and adrenal steroid production, in neonatal pigs. These differences could contribute to the high levels of mortality and morbidity in the first few days of life.