鱼类粘膜免疫研究进展

Fish immunology has achieved great progress in recent years. While before 1990s, most researches focused on the fish systematic immunity, and the mucosal immunity of fish had not been given enough attention. Indeed, it has been shown that fish mucosal immunity plays an important role in disease defense. Fish mucosal immunity research has made some exciting progress in this decade. This review will focus on such progress: Constitution of mucosal-associated tissues and distribution of different immune cells, including T/B lymphocytes, granules, monocytes, macrophages, goblet cells, etc, in these sites have been well described with the development of some monoclonal antibody to these cells and associated techniques. Non-specific immune response mechanism of mucosal tissues reported these years, such as secretion of non-specific anti-bacteria and anti-fungi substances in mucus, the respiratory burst, enzyme activity of immune cells and so on, is believed important for fish disease defense. The specific immunity of mucosal tissues also attracts much interest and makes great achievement in antigen presenting, MHC genes, antibody producing and antibody secreting cells, comparison of serum and mucus immunoglobulin, relationships of immune response between different mucosal immune tissues. Whether mucosal immune system is independent of systematic immune system is another interesting question and causes great concern. In recent years, some evidences from phyletic evolution and ontogenesis show that mucosal immunity is prior to systematic immunity in evolution. Dynamics of antibody producing of mucosal tissues and serum in immersion or oral vaccines immunized fish also shows immune response can be elicited in mucosal tissues independent of systematic immune system. Some researchers also begin to pay attention to factors involved in mucosal immune regulations, for instance, neuromodulators and cytokines. The level of these factors changes in fish immune response process but the mechanisms of regulation still remain unknown. Prospect of the promising future of fish mucosal immunity has also been discussed in this review.     

Investigation of humoral immune factors from selected groups of southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau): implications for aquaculture

Serum immunoglobulin, lysozyme and classical and alternative complement activity were analysed in different groups of wild and captive southern bluefin tuna (SBT), Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau), from ambient water temperatures of 12 ± 1 and 20 ± 1 °C. Groups held captive for the longest time were found to have the highest levels of these humoral immune mediators, despite a drop in ambient temperature from 20 ± 1 to 12 ± 1 °C during the captivity period. Therefore, it may be that the immune response in these endothermic fish is not inhibited by low temperature to the extent seen in poikilothermic fish. Also, length of time in captivity appears to be associated with increased antigen exposure to maintain high levels of humoral immune mediators in these groups. Lysozyme activity was optimal at pH 5.8 and 6.2, suggesting that two isoforms, with different pH optima, are present. The SBT serum was found to lyse sheep erythrocytes by both classical and alternative complement pathways. Classical pathway activity occurred in the absence of prior sensitization with antiserum to sheep red blood cells, suggesting that natural antibodies may be present (or lectin or C-reactive protein mediated activation). Complement activity was relatively resistant to freezing at −20 °C but heating at between 45 and 50 °C for 20 min destroyed all complement activity.     

The effect of dietary vitamin A on the immunocompetence of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. were maintained on diets containing low (0.37 mg kg^–1 diet), normal (1.95 mg kg^–1 diet) and high (15 mg kg^–1 diet) levels of vitamin A fed at 1.5% body weight per day. After 4 months, liver vitamin A levels reflected dietary intake and growth rates of all three groups were similar. Kidney leucocyte migration and serum bactericidal activity were found to be significantly reduced in fish fed low levels of vitamin A. On the other hand, high levels of vitamin A in the diet were found to augment serum antiprotease activity relative to the levels found in the other dietary groups. However, phagocyte respiratory burst activity, bactericidal activity and eicosanoid production were unaffected by the dietary vitamin A regime, as were lymphocyte functions (lymphokine and antibody production) and both serum lysozyme and classical complement activity. That the overall immunomodulatory effect of vitamin A was small was reflected in the resistance to Aeromonas salmonicida. No significant differences were found between the different vitamin A intake groups despite a trend to decreased resistance in the low vitamin A diet group.     

益生菌健康功能的研究进展

益生菌是活的微生物,当摄入足够数量时,对宿主起有益健康的作用。益生菌的健康作用逐步被科学验证,包括调节肠道菌群、抑制有害细菌、消炎、抗过敏、提高机体免疫力等,但益生菌发挥健康作用的机理却尚未定论。目前,普遍认为益生菌发挥健康作用可能有3种途径:调节肠道微生态环境、调节机体免疫、改善定殖抗性。本文重点针对益生菌的特征、选择标准、健康作用机制进行了综述。     

高棉籽粕饲料中补充赖氨酸和铁对青鱼幼鱼生长、免疫力及组织中游离棉酚含量的影响

以初始平均体重为(7.01±0.05)g的青鱼为研究对象,配制5种等氮等能的试验饲料,以含40%豆粕的饲料作为豆粕对照饲料,含41%棉籽粕的饲料作为高棉籽粕饲料,并在高棉籽粕饲料中分别用0.342%的晶体赖氨酸(有效含量79%)、0.115%的七水硫酸亚铁以及0.342%的晶体赖氨酸+0.115%的七水硫酸亚铁等量替代面粉,以研究高棉籽粕饲料中补充赖氨酸和铁对青鱼幼鱼生长、免疫力及组织中游离棉酚含量的影响。每组设3个重复,每个重复30尾,试验期为8周。结果表明:与豆粕对照组相比,高棉籽粕组青鱼的特定生长率、血液红细胞数量以及血清补体4含量和总超氧化物歧化酶、溶菌酶活力均显著降低(P<0.05),血清谷草转氨酶和谷丙转氨酶活力显著升高(P<0.05),同时肝脏游离棉酚累积,但在高棉籽粕饲料中同时补充铁与赖氨酸可显著提高青鱼的特定生长率和血液红细胞数量(P<0.05),并与豆粕对照组差异不显著(P>0.05)。此外,高棉籽粕饲料中补充铁可显著提高青鱼血清补体4含量(P<0.05),补充赖氨酸或铁可显著提高血清溶菌酶活力(P<0.05)并显著降低血清谷草转氨酶和谷丙转氨酶活力(P<0.05),且单一补充铁时血清谷草转氨酶和谷丙转氨酶活力与豆粕对照组无显著差异(P>0.05)。高棉籽粕饲料中补充铁可显著降低肌肉和肝脏中游离棉酚含量(P<0.05),补充赖氨酸可显著升高血清中总超氧化物歧化酶活力(P<0.05)。由结果可知,高棉籽粕饲料中补充铁和赖氨酸能促进青鱼幼鱼的生长,提高机体免疫力,降低肌肉和肝脏中游离棉酚含量,同时补充铁和赖氨酸效果更明显。     

Characterization of adaptive immune responses induced by a new genetically inactivated Salmonella Enteritidis vaccine

The superior conservation of antigenic determinants on the surface of genetically inactivated bacterial ghosts makes them attractive immunogenic inactivated vaccine candidates. The efficacy of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) ghost vaccination was evaluated in chickens by characterizing the nature of the adaptive immune response. Chickens from the immunized group demonstrated significant increases in SE-specific plasma IgG, intestinal secretory IgA, and lymphocyte proliferative response. The populations of CD4, CD8, and TCR γδ T-cells in immunized chickens were significantly greater than in the controls. Increased levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10 were observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with SE specific antigen. After virulent SE challenge, the immune system of immunized chickens was rapidly stimulated, as indicated by significantly increased population of CD4 and CD8 T-cells. Furthermore, the immunized group exhibited decreased challenge strain recovery of the internal organs compared to the non-immunized group. Together, these data indicate that the immunization induced humoral and cell-mediated immunity might be responsible for significant reduction of the virulent challenge strain load in the internal organs of immunized chickens.     

Optimal dose and timing in phytohaemagglutinin skin-testing of deer

AIM: To establish the optimal dose of the mitogen phytohaem- agglutinin (PHA) and the optimal time for measuring increased skin-fold thickness in red deer following intradermal injection, as an indicator of cell-mediated immune response.

METHODS: Three doses (10, 50 and 250 µg) of PHA were injected intradermally in the right side of the neck, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was injected at a fourth site as a control, in 20 captive Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) hinds. Skin-fold thicknesses were measured at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 h following injection.

RESULTS: The highest dose of PHA tested (250 µg) resulted in a clear and long-lasting cellular response; increases in skin-fold thickness between 48 and 84 h post-injection varied minimally and response correlated positively with liveweight. No correlations with liveweight and no clear increases in skin-fold thickness occurred at the lower doses of PHA or the PBS.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This technique could be applied with minimal training and without specialised equipment in deer, for immunological and ecological research.     

Further cases of equine sex chromosome abnormalities

Sex chromosome abnormalities have been detected in a further five mares with clinical histories of small ovaries and absent or irregular oestrous cycles. Three mares had 63,XO karyotypes (X monosomy) and two were sex chromosome mosaics with karyotypes of 63,XO/64,XY and 63,XO/64,XX/64,XY respectively. A sex chromosome abnormality (X monosomy) has also been found in a filly where it was suspected because of her short stature.     

Radio-iodine treatment of hyperthyroid cats

Thirty-two elderly domestic shdrthaired cats (mean age 12.9 years) were treated with radioiodine (¹³¹I). The dose of ¹³¹I administered ranged from 39 mBq to 134 mBq. Twenty-eight cats became euthyroid after treatment, one became hypothyroid and three remained hyperthyrox-aemic. Two of the hyperthyroxaemic cats were successfully re-treated with ¹³¹I. Five cats died from concurrent diseases within one year of treatment. The administration of a dose of ¹³¹I selected by assessing the severity of the clinical signs, the size of the thyroid gland(s) and the serum level of thyroxine was an effective treatment for hyperthyroidism.