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The Bursa of Fabricius and Antibody Production
Research Notes THE BURSA OF FABRICIUS AND ANTIBODY PRODUCTION BRUCE GLICK, TIMOTHY S. CHANG AND R. GEORGE JAAP
The Ohio Agrictdtwal Experiment Station, Columbus, Ohio (Received for publication September 10, 1955)
The bursa of Fabricius is a structure peculiar to Aves. It is a blind sac connectée! by a small duct to the dorsal part of the cloaca. Often nicknamed "the cloacal thymus," the function of the bursa is believed to be similar to that of the thymus (Riddle, 1928; Taibel, 1938). There is no question that the bursa of Fabricius functions as a lymph gland during the first two to three months after the chicken hatches (Jolly, 1914; Calhoun, 1933; Glick, 1955). Like the thymus, the bursa in birds is believed to hâve some endocrine function in relation to growth and sexual development. (Riddle, 1928; Woodward, 1931; and others.) Although reticular cells of lymph glands and lymphocytes may participate in globulin and antibody synthesis (Raflel, 1953), suspicion regarding the importance of the bursa in antibody production arose in the following accidentai manner. A source of chicken blood possessing a high titre of antibody for antigen O of Salmonella typhimurium was desired for other experiments. Seventeen and one-half milliliters of a 48 hour, heat inactivated, broth culture (Kauffmann, 1950) were injected intravenously during a 20 day period. Surplus 6 month old females from an experiment designed to study the effect of bursectomy were used. To our surprise six females which had been bursectomized at 12 days of âge died as a resuit of the injections. Three survived but produced no antibodies. The non-bursectomized females seemed unaffected and built up normal titres of antibodies in their blood.
To test -whether the bursa of Fabricius was involved in antibody production, 85 out of 168 maie and female chickens were bursectomized at two weeks of âge. Twenty of thèse White Leghorns received 8.5 ml. of S. typhimurium antigen per bird in six intramuscular injections at four day intervais between the 3rd and 6th week after hatching. Blood samples taken one week after the last injection were tested by the homologous antigen-antibody reaction test at 1:25 dilution. Out of ten bursectomized birds antibodies to 5. typhimurium were présent in three individuals while eight of the ten normal controls developed antibodies. The larger group composed of 74 White Leghorns and 74-Rhode Island Reds were each injected with 17.5 ml. of the suspension of S. typhimurium in six intramuscular injections at four-day intervais from the 13th to the 16th week after hatching. Their reaction to the test foi antibodies at 17 weeks of âge is given in the accompanying table. Antibody titres were demonstrated for 63 out of the 73 controls. This is considered to be a normal resuit with the typhimurium antigen. Only 8 of the 75 bursectomized birds developed antibodies. Thèse results demonstrate that the bursa of Fabricius plays a vital rôle in the production of antibodies to 5. typhimurium. No information is available concerning the possible rôle of the bursa in the production of antibodies for other antigens. The bursa of Fabricius reaches its maximum size as early as 4 to 5 weeks in White Leghorns and as late as 9 to 10
224
NEWS AND NOTES TABLE 1.—Number of chickens and antibody production resulting from injections of 0 antigen (S. typhimurium) between the 13th and 17th week after hatching Bursectomized Posi- Négative tive Rhode Island Red White Leghorn Total
Controls Posi- Négative tive
S 3
33 34
35 28
1 9
8
67
63
10
weeks in Rhode Island Reds (Glick, 1955). This rapid growth period for the bursa coïncides with the period when chickens attain the ability to develop many antibodies to foreign proteins (Wolfe and Dilks, 1948). Once the bird has developed the ability to produce antibodies this ability is maintained throughout life. The bursae of White Leghorns begin to atrophy about 7 weeks after hatching. In Rhode Island Reds atrophy of the bursa begins later, about the 13th week (Glick, 1955). It is unlikely that the atrophie bursae of chickens between the 13th and 17th week after hatching could hâve a direct influence on antibody production. To détermine where and how the bursa is involved in antibody production should prove promising for futher research. The White Leghorn breed has a greater résistance to S. pullorum than Rhode Island Reds during the first two weeks
225
after hatching (Hutt and Scholes, 1941). The more rapid growth rate and larger mature size of the bursa in White Leghorns has been demonstrated. Disease résistance in gênerai may be associated with rate of growth and size of the bursa during the period when the bird first develops the capacity to produce many of its antibodies. REFERENCES Calhoun, M. L., 1933. Microscopic anatomy of the digestive tract of Gallus domesticus. Iowa State CoUegeJ. Sci. 7: 261-382. Glick, B., 1955. Growth and function of the Bursa of Fabricius in the domestic fowl. Ph.D. Dissertation, Ohio State University. Hutt, F. B., and J. C. Scholes, 1941. Genetics of the fowl. 13, Breed différences in susceptibility to Salmonetta ptdlorum. Poultry Sci. 20: 342-352. Jolly, J., 1914. La bourse de Fabricius. Et les organes lymphoepithéliauz. Arch. d'Anat. Micr. 16: 316-546. Kauffmann, F., 1950. The Diagnosis of Salmonetta types. Charles C Thomas, Illinois. Raffel, S., 1953. Immunity. Appleton-Century Crofts, Inc. New York. Riddle, O., 1928. Growth of the gonads and bursa of Fabricius in doves and pigeons with data for body growth and âge at maturity. Amer. J. Physiol. 86: 243-265. Taibel, A. M., 1938. Effetto délia bursectomia sul timo in Gallus domesticus. Riv. Biol. 24: 364-372. Wolfe, H. R., and E. Dilks, 1948. Precipitin production in the chicken I I I : Variation in antibody response as correlated with âge of animal. J. Immunology, 58:245-250. Woodward, M., 1931. Studies in bursectomized and thymectomized chicken. M.S. thesis. Kansas State Collège.
NEWS AND NOTES (Continued from page 223) Hampshire; M.S., 1951, and Ph.D., 1953, Cornell) resigned in February to become coordinator of the North Central Poultry Breeding Project at Lafayette, Indiana. Assistant Professor H. C. Hutchings, Jr. (B.S., 1951, and M.S., 1954, Massachusetts), resigned in May, 1955, to join the Charles M. Cox Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
A. van Tienhoven (M.S., 1949, Wageningen, M.S., 1951 and Ph.D., 1953, Illinois), formerly Assistant Professor of Poultry Husbandry at Mississippi State Collège, has been appointed Assistant Professor of Avian Physiology. Dr. D. R. Marble, who has been serving as Project leader in extension, has been transferred to the résident teaching staff, and also will be in charge of on page 229)
The Ohio Agrictdtwal Experiment Station, Columbus, Ohio (Received for publication September 10, 1955)
The bursa of Fabricius is a structure peculiar to Aves. It is a blind sac connectée! by a small duct to the dorsal part of the cloaca. Often nicknamed "the cloacal thymus," the function of the bursa is believed to be similar to that of the thymus (Riddle, 1928; Taibel, 1938). There is no question that the bursa of Fabricius functions as a lymph gland during the first two to three months after the chicken hatches (Jolly, 1914; Calhoun, 1933; Glick, 1955). Like the thymus, the bursa in birds is believed to hâve some endocrine function in relation to growth and sexual development. (Riddle, 1928; Woodward, 1931; and others.) Although reticular cells of lymph glands and lymphocytes may participate in globulin and antibody synthesis (Raflel, 1953), suspicion regarding the importance of the bursa in antibody production arose in the following accidentai manner. A source of chicken blood possessing a high titre of antibody for antigen O of Salmonella typhimurium was desired for other experiments. Seventeen and one-half milliliters of a 48 hour, heat inactivated, broth culture (Kauffmann, 1950) were injected intravenously during a 20 day period. Surplus 6 month old females from an experiment designed to study the effect of bursectomy were used. To our surprise six females which had been bursectomized at 12 days of âge died as a resuit of the injections. Three survived but produced no antibodies. The non-bursectomized females seemed unaffected and built up normal titres of antibodies in their blood.
To test -whether the bursa of Fabricius was involved in antibody production, 85 out of 168 maie and female chickens were bursectomized at two weeks of âge. Twenty of thèse White Leghorns received 8.5 ml. of S. typhimurium antigen per bird in six intramuscular injections at four day intervais between the 3rd and 6th week after hatching. Blood samples taken one week after the last injection were tested by the homologous antigen-antibody reaction test at 1:25 dilution. Out of ten bursectomized birds antibodies to 5. typhimurium were présent in three individuals while eight of the ten normal controls developed antibodies. The larger group composed of 74 White Leghorns and 74-Rhode Island Reds were each injected with 17.5 ml. of the suspension of S. typhimurium in six intramuscular injections at four-day intervais from the 13th to the 16th week after hatching. Their reaction to the test foi antibodies at 17 weeks of âge is given in the accompanying table. Antibody titres were demonstrated for 63 out of the 73 controls. This is considered to be a normal resuit with the typhimurium antigen. Only 8 of the 75 bursectomized birds developed antibodies. Thèse results demonstrate that the bursa of Fabricius plays a vital rôle in the production of antibodies to 5. typhimurium. No information is available concerning the possible rôle of the bursa in the production of antibodies for other antigens. The bursa of Fabricius reaches its maximum size as early as 4 to 5 weeks in White Leghorns and as late as 9 to 10
224
NEWS AND NOTES TABLE 1.—Number of chickens and antibody production resulting from injections of 0 antigen (S. typhimurium) between the 13th and 17th week after hatching Bursectomized Posi- Négative tive Rhode Island Red White Leghorn Total
Controls Posi- Négative tive
S 3
33 34
35 28
1 9
8
67
63
10
weeks in Rhode Island Reds (Glick, 1955). This rapid growth period for the bursa coïncides with the period when chickens attain the ability to develop many antibodies to foreign proteins (Wolfe and Dilks, 1948). Once the bird has developed the ability to produce antibodies this ability is maintained throughout life. The bursae of White Leghorns begin to atrophy about 7 weeks after hatching. In Rhode Island Reds atrophy of the bursa begins later, about the 13th week (Glick, 1955). It is unlikely that the atrophie bursae of chickens between the 13th and 17th week after hatching could hâve a direct influence on antibody production. To détermine where and how the bursa is involved in antibody production should prove promising for futher research. The White Leghorn breed has a greater résistance to S. pullorum than Rhode Island Reds during the first two weeks
225
after hatching (Hutt and Scholes, 1941). The more rapid growth rate and larger mature size of the bursa in White Leghorns has been demonstrated. Disease résistance in gênerai may be associated with rate of growth and size of the bursa during the period when the bird first develops the capacity to produce many of its antibodies. REFERENCES Calhoun, M. L., 1933. Microscopic anatomy of the digestive tract of Gallus domesticus. Iowa State CoUegeJ. Sci. 7: 261-382. Glick, B., 1955. Growth and function of the Bursa of Fabricius in the domestic fowl. Ph.D. Dissertation, Ohio State University. Hutt, F. B., and J. C. Scholes, 1941. Genetics of the fowl. 13, Breed différences in susceptibility to Salmonetta ptdlorum. Poultry Sci. 20: 342-352. Jolly, J., 1914. La bourse de Fabricius. Et les organes lymphoepithéliauz. Arch. d'Anat. Micr. 16: 316-546. Kauffmann, F., 1950. The Diagnosis of Salmonetta types. Charles C Thomas, Illinois. Raffel, S., 1953. Immunity. Appleton-Century Crofts, Inc. New York. Riddle, O., 1928. Growth of the gonads and bursa of Fabricius in doves and pigeons with data for body growth and âge at maturity. Amer. J. Physiol. 86: 243-265. Taibel, A. M., 1938. Effetto délia bursectomia sul timo in Gallus domesticus. Riv. Biol. 24: 364-372. Wolfe, H. R., and E. Dilks, 1948. Precipitin production in the chicken I I I : Variation in antibody response as correlated with âge of animal. J. Immunology, 58:245-250. Woodward, M., 1931. Studies in bursectomized and thymectomized chicken. M.S. thesis. Kansas State Collège.
NEWS AND NOTES (Continued from page 223) Hampshire; M.S., 1951, and Ph.D., 1953, Cornell) resigned in February to become coordinator of the North Central Poultry Breeding Project at Lafayette, Indiana. Assistant Professor H. C. Hutchings, Jr. (B.S., 1951, and M.S., 1954, Massachusetts), resigned in May, 1955, to join the Charles M. Cox Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
A. van Tienhoven (M.S., 1949, Wageningen, M.S., 1951 and Ph.D., 1953, Illinois), formerly Assistant Professor of Poultry Husbandry at Mississippi State Collège, has been appointed Assistant Professor of Avian Physiology. Dr. D. R. Marble, who has been serving as Project leader in extension, has been transferred to the résident teaching staff, and also will be in charge of on page 229)