Heterophils isolated from distinct broilers (lines A and B) differ in function and cytokine gene expression profiles. Nothing is known about Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression nor functional activation and cytokine/chemokine gene expression of line A and B heterophils when stimulated with TLR agonists. We found that line A and B heterophils express the same range of TLRs. All the bacterial TLR...

Complex birdsong is a classic example of a sexually selected ornamental trait. In many species, females prefer males with large song repertoires, possibly because repertoire size is limited by the size of song control nuclei which reflect developmental success. We investigated whether song repertoire size was indicative of brain area and male quality in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) by dete...

BACKGROUND Analytical interference in immunoassays can produce serious errors, but it is generally considered rare with modern analytical systems. METHOD Blood was collected from 10 donors with illnesses known to be associated with rheumatoid factor. Immunoassays for 74 analytes were performed in 66 clinical laboratories. Each sample was measured in duplicate, and again in duplicate after the...

Energy allocation among somatic maintenance, reproduction and growth varies not only among species, but among individuals according to states such as age, sex and season. Little research has been conducted on the somatic (physiological) maintenance of long-lived organisms, particularly ectotherms such as reptiles. In this study, we examined sex differences and age- and season-related variation ...

A model was developed to study stress in chickens. Continuous administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone was employed (ACTH) using physiological mini-osmotic pumps. A validation of controls for this procedure showed that nonhandled (NHCON), sham surgical procedure for pump implantation (SMCON) and surgical implantation of a pump delivering saline (SALCON) were all acceptable controls. Contin...

Bovine sera for tissue culture use were shown to contain heterophil antigen of the Paul-Bunnell-Davidsohn type by immune adherence hemagglutination tests with sera from patients with infectious mononucleosis. The antibody titers observed were comparable to those determined by two other methods; i.e., the immune adherence hemagglutination test was found to be as specific as the differential abso...

The objective of the study was to compare the effects of antibiotic virginiamycin, probiotic Protexin® and Plantago major L. (plantain) on performance, serum metabolites, immune response, and the ileal microbial population of broilers. The experiment was carried out with a total of 200 day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens in a completely randomized design. Chickens were allocated to five grou...

GLANDULAR FEVER, now known as infectious mononucleosis (I.M.), was described in children by Pfeiffer of Wiesbaden in 1889. Byers (1904) wrote of 33 cases in Northern Ireland, which occurred in the age group thirteen months to twenty-five years. An epidemic in a children's ward in Baltimore was reported by Burns (1909). The condition was well reviewed by Tidy and Morley (1921); and in 1923 Tidy ...

Although the hematology of healthy elephants has been well-described, published information on hematological changes during disease is limited. The objective of this study was to describe qualitative morphological changes in the leukocytes of Asian and African elephants (Elephas maximus and Loxodonta africana) diagnosed with a variety of inflammatory conditions. Twenty-five of 27 elephants had ...

Stressors encountered during avian development may affect an individual's phenotype, including immunocompetence, growth, and feather quality. We examined effects of simulated chronic low-level stress on American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nestlings. Continuous release of corticosterone, a hormone involved in the stress response, can model chronic stress in birds. We implanted 13-d-old males wit...