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Topic:Immunoglobulins
Immunoglobulins in horses are antibodies produced by the immune system to identify and neutralize pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. These proteins are essential components of the horse's immune response and are involved in recognizing foreign antigens. The primary classes of immunoglobulins in horses include IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, and IgD, each with distinct roles in immune function. IgG is the most abundant and plays a key role in systemic immune responses, while IgA is important for mucosal immunity. IgM is the first antibody produced in response to an antigen, and IgE is involved in allergic reactions. IgD's function is less well-defined but is thought to be involved in respiratory immune responses. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and clinical relevance of immunoglobulins in equine health.
Equine immunity to parasites. Helminths are among the most significant parasites of horses in developed countries. This article examines immune responses against helminth parasites and the implications that immunologic investigations have on vaccine development, improvement of diagnostic procedures, and disease eradication.
Secondary immunodeficiencies of horses. FPT of immunoglobulin in foals is the commonest form of acquired immunodeficiency in horses. FPT predisposes foals to bacterial infections and septicemia and easily is preventable and treatable if breeding farms and veterinarians are attentive to optimum foaling management practices. Other forms of acquired immunodeficiencies are uncommon in horses, although immune function may be transiently suppressed by a wide variety of drugs, infections, or other conditions. As immunologic testing becomes more sophisticated and more readily available to equine practitioners, acquired immunodeficiencies ar...
Inflammation in horses. After inflammation is initiated by detection of antigen, plasma components and activated leukocytes are concentrated at the inflammatory site. Cellular and chemical effectors of inflammation are focused on the offending antigen, usually resulting in its destruction and elimination. Activation of endogenous counter-regulatory systems damps down the inflammatory process and is the first stage of repair. In addition to local effects, the inflammatory focus may initiate a continuum of systemic acute phase responses ranging from the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to generalized immu...
Equine immunity to viruses. The identification of some of the adaptive immune responses to infection with equine viruses has been the first step toward rational immunoprophylactic design. Sufficient knowledge of infection-induced immunity and informed estimates of the requirements for long-term immunity for EIV have now been obtained. Thus, the future for inactivated EIV vaccines is promising now that new adjuvants have been applied to induce cellular immunity and safe methods have been designed to stimulate virus-neutralizing (VN) antibody at mucosal surfaces. Adenoviruses induce circulating VN antibody, the presence of...
Concentrations of total protein, albumin and immunoglobulins in undiluted uterine fluid of gynecologically healthy mares. Undiluted uterine fluid from 20 Warmblood/Standardbred mares (5 to 14 yr old) was recovered by absorption to an intrauterine tampon. The mares were considered gynecologically healthy based on a clinical examination including uterine swabs for cytology and bacteriology as well as endometrial biopsy examinations. The protein profiles (SDS-PAGE) and concentrations of total protein, albumin, and immunoglobulins (Ig) A and G in the uterine fluid were examined and compared with the same proteins in serum. Major peaks were identified on the obtained protein profiles, and there was a clear similarity ...
Characterization of peripheral blood and pulmonary leukocyte function in healthy foals. Studies in infants and foals indicate an age-dependent maturation of peripheral lymphocyte subsets. The age-dependent relationship for maturation of cellular immune responses, such as phagocytosis and lymphocyte responses of the peripheral and pulmonary-derived leukocytes, has not been characterized in foals. Lymphocyte subpopulations, mitogen stimulation response of lymphocytes, lymphokine-activated killing cell activity, phagocytosis and oxidative burst activity, and serum immunoglobulin (Ig) classes G and M concentrations were determined in developing foals. This study illustrates age-depen...
Effect of prophylactic administration of hyperimmune plasma to prevent Rhodococcus equi infection on foals from endemically affected farms. The effect on foals of prophylactic administration of hyperimmune plasma to prevent R. equi infection was investigated on three farms at which R. equi infection was endemic. Sixteen foals between 10 and 39 days of age were intravenously given 1-21 of hyperimmune plasma. ELISA antibody titres against R. equi were significantly increased and maintained at high levels for over 30 days in most of the recipient foals. The prevalence of R. equi infection was 6.3% (1/16) in the foals that received the immune plasma, and 26.3% (5/19) in the control foals not given the immune plasma on the three farms....
Immunohistochemical study of the inflammatory infiltrate associated with equine squamous cell carcinoma. The distribution of T (CD3), B (CD79) lymphocytes, immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM and IgA)-producing plasma cells, macrophages (lysozyme, Mac387) and MHC Class II antigen was analysed in the inflammatory infiltrate associated with 19 equine squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and six cases of precancerous lesions (actinic keratosis). The SCCs came from the penis (11 cases), conjunctiva (four), skin (two), nasal cavity (one) and oral cavity (one). Seven cases were well-differentiated and 12 moderately differentiated. Nine cases showed no invasion of peritumoral deep tissues (locally invasive), whereas th...
BERNA: a century of immunobiological innovation. At the time the Swiss Serum and Vaccine Institute Berne (BERNA) was found in 1898, few vaccines or immune globulins were available. This short list included vaccines against cholera, typhoid fever, plague, smallpox and rabies and equine anti-tetanus and diphtheria immune globulins. Furthermore, their use was restricted due to limited production capacity, uncertainty regarding safety and no public health infrastructure to promote their utilization. Today, safe and effective vaccines exist for more than 30 infectious diseases while human hyperimmune globulins exist to treat or prevent rabies, te...
Evaluation of antibody parameters as potential correlates of protection or enhancement by experimental vaccines to equine infectious anemia virus. We previously demonstrated in trials of a variety of experimental vaccines to equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) a remarkable spectrum of efficacy ranging from sterilizing protection to severe enhancement of virus replication and disease, depending on the immunization strategy used. This range of vaccine efficacy observed in vivo offers a unique opportunity for evaluating potential in vitro immune correlates of protection and enhancement. We describe here a comprehensive analysis and comparison of EIAV envelope-specific antibody responses elicited by attenuated, inactivated whole virus and ...
Potential of DNA-mediated vaccination for equine herpesvirus 1. The potential of DNA-mediated immunisation to protect against equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) disease was assessed in a murine model of EHV-1 respiratory infection. Intramuscular injection with DNA encoding the EHV-1 envelope glycoprotein D (gD) in a mammalian expression vector induced a specific antibody response detectable by two weeks and maintained through 23 weeks post injection. Immune responses were proportional to the dose of DNA and a second injection markedly enhanced the antibody response. EHV-1 gD DNA-injected mice developed neutralising antibodies, and a predominance of IgG2a antibod...
In vitro antibody-dependent enhancement assays are insensitive indicators of in vivo vaccine enhancement of equine infectious anemia virus. We have previously demonstrated a high propensity for enhancement of virus replication and disease resulting from experimental immunization of ponies with a baculovirus recombinant envelope (rgp90) vaccine from equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). The current studies were undertaken to examine the correlation between the observed in vivo vaccine enhancement and in vitro assays for antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of EIAV replication. Toward this goal an optimized EIAV in vitro enhancement assay was developed using primary equine macrophage cells and used to evaluate the enhancement prope...
Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations and immunoglobulin concentrations in healthy foals and foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. Infectious diseases are common in foals aged 1-5 months. The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate immunologic parameters in foals from birth to weaning to establish reference values for the proportion of circulating lymphocytes that were helper (CD4+) or cytotoxic (CD8+) T cells, or B cells; to measure serum immunoglobulin (IgM and IgG) concentrations; and to compare these immunologic parameters to values in foals with naturally occurring Rhodococcus equi pneumonia and in adult horses. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were determined by flow cytometric analysis, and seru...
The effect of nonspecific immunostimulation of pregnant mares with 1,3/1,6 glucan and levamisole on the immunoglobulins levels in colostrum, selected indices of nonspecific cellular and humoral immunity in foals in neonatal and postnatal period. The objectives of the studies were to evaluate the effect of levamisole and 1,3/1,6 glucan applied in pregnant mares on parameters of non-specific cellular and humoral immunity of foals. Eighteen mares in three experimental groups (six animals in each) and their progeny were examined. Multiparous mares, crossbreed of Polish, full-blood and Hannover lines (400-500 kg), 4-9 years old, originated from four different farms. They were kept under identical zoohygienic and nutritional conditions. The animals were randomly chosen in experimental groups. None of mares had been previously vaccinated. In...
A histological and immunohistochemical study of the humoral immune system of the lungs in young Thoroughbred horses. Lungs were obtained from 16 Thoroughbred horses, aged 1 day to 2 years, which had died or been humanely killed for reasons unrelated to disease of the lower respiratory tract. The lungs were then subjected to a histological and immunohistochemical examination of the humoral immune system. At birth there was no evidence of organized lymphoid tissue, and lymphocytes and plasma cells were virtually absent in all tissue compartments in the first week of life. However, by 12 weeks, foals exhibited well developed bronchus- and bronchiole-associated lymphoid tissue, but this had regressed progressive...
Improved hepatic and pancreatic localisation of the equine alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor family of serpins using an antigen enhancement technique and a monoclonal antibody. Equine alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (API) consists of three, occasionally four, serum glycoproteins. This study investigated the immunohistochemical localisation of equine API in paraformaldehyde fixed, paraffin embedded equine tissue samples of liver, lung, stomach, pancreas, jejunum and colon in five horses using affinity purified sheep polyclonal and protein A purified mouse monoclonal antibodies, whose specificities were verified by Western blotting. Exposing tissue sections to boiling citrate buffer greatly enhanced antigen recovery and improved immunostaining with both antibodies, result...
Suppressant effect of human or equine rabies immunoglobulins on the immunogenicity of post-exposure rabies vaccination under the 2-1-1 regimen: a field trial in Indonesia. MAS054 Clinical Investigator Group. WHO's reference protocol for post-exposure rabies vaccination advises five intramuscular injections on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 30; in addition, rabies immunoglobulins (RIG) must be given to serious cases of exposure (grade III severity). Some studies indicate that these immunoglobulins suppress the immunogenicity of rabies vaccine when administered according to an alternative protocol of four injections (2-1-1) on days 0, 7, and 21, which was therefore not recommended for grade III exposures. To test this effect, we conducted a multicentre study in Indonesia using three groups of subjects. One g...
Hyperglobulinemia and lymphocyte subset changes in naturally infected, inapparent carriers of equine infectious anemia virus. To determine blood protein concentration, immunoglobulin concentration, and lymphocyte profiles in equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) seropositive, naturally infected horses without clinical signs of disease. Methods: 26 clinically normal seropositive horses, 6 febrile ponies with experimentally induced EIA, and 52 clinically normal seronegative horses and ponies. Methods: Serum and EDTA-anticoagulated blood were obtained from all horses and ponies, and total serum protein and albumin concentrations, immunoglobulin concentrations, and blood lymphocyte subset counts were determined. Results:...
Organization of the equine immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region genes; III. Alignment of c mu, c gamma, c epsilon and c alpha genes. Previous restriction analysis of cloned equine DNA and genomic DNA of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells had indicated the existence of one c epsilon, one c alpha and up to six c gamma genes in the haploid equine genome. The c epsilon and c alpha genes have been aligned on a 30 kb DNA fragment in the order 5' c epsilon-c alpha 3'. Here we describe the alignment of the equine c mu and c gamma genes by deletion analysis of one IgM, four IgG and two equine light chain expressing heterohybridomas. This analysis establishes the existence of six c gamma genes per haploid genome. The genomic a...
Immunologic function in horses after non-specific immunostimulant administration. Inactivated Propionibacterium acnes is a biologic response modifier for treatment of non-specific respiratory disease in horses. The objectives of this investigation were to determine alterations in phagocytic activity, phenotypic expression of lymphocyte subpopulations and lymphokine-activated killing cell response in healthy young horses. Samples were collected on day 0, 7 and 14 of the investigation. Blood samples were obtained via jugular venipuncture and pulmonary leukocytes were recovered via bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Commercially available P. acnes (Eqstim) was administered intraven...
Report of the Second Equine Leucocyte Antigen Workshop, Squaw valley, California, July 1995. The final assignment of antibody clusters for leucocyte antigens and immunoglobulins, as described in detail in Sections 3 and 4, is summarized in Table 4. Together with other mAbs developed outside of ELAW II (Table 9) this pool of reagents represent a powerful array of tools for the study of equine immunity. The Second Equine Leucocyte Antigen Workshop made considerable advances in pursuing the objectives of establishing the specificities of mAbs and achieving consensus on the nomenclature for equine leucocyte and immunoglobulin molecules. Of equal importance, several productive collaboratio...
Organization of the equine immunoglobulin constant heavy chain genes. I. c epsilon and c alpha genes. We provide a restriction map of the equine c epsilon and c alpha genes as a molecular basis for isotype classification. Human and murine DNA probes were used for identification of homologous equine DNA sequences and for isolation of the equine c epsilon and c alpha genes from a genomic DNA library. A detailed map of the equine 5'-s epsilon/c epsilon-s alpha/c alpha-3' gene region was obtained. Equine c epsilon and c alpha DNA probes were prepared and used for restriction analysis of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene loci from different horses. This analysis indicated the presence of only one equ...
Isolation and characterisation of equine dendritic cells. Despite their important role in initiating T-cell responses in other species, dendritic cells have not been studied in the horse. A method for isolating blood dendritic cells by adherence and metrizamide gradients was adapted to equine cells. A number of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including some which label dendritic cells in other species, were tested for immunochemical reactivity with the isolated blood dendritic cells, and sections of lymph node and spleen. 62 +/- 6% of the isolated blood cells were MHC Class II positive and had typical dendritic cell morphology and only 4 +/- 2% contain...
[Demonstration of immunoglobulin isotypes in the vitreous body as a contribution to the etiology of recurrent equine uveitis]. The functional properties of different immunoglobulin isotypes in equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) has not been investigated yet. Here, we describe the quantitative determination of total immunoglobulin levels and isotype differentiation in the vitreous of four horses with ERU as compared to that of seven healthy horses. In contrast to almost equal amounts of total immunoglobulin in the vitreous of both groups, remarkable differences were found: All four of the horses with ERU had significantly higher IgA contents in their vitreous as compared to the control group. However, the other isotypes mo...
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia in a quarter horse foal. Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is recognized as a spontaneous disease of human infants, piglets, and possibly mules, but it has not been previously reported in horses. A 1-day-old Quarter Horse foal presented to Michigan State University Large Animal Clinic with severe thrombocytopenia of unknown origin. Immunoglobulins that bound to the foal's platelets were identified in the mare's plasma, serum, and milk by indirect assays. The immunoglobulins were further shown to recognize platelets from the foal's full brother, born 1 year earlier. These findings, coupled with the clinical course o...
Expression cloning and humoral immune response to the nucleocapsid and membrane proteins of equine arteritis virus. To provide a convenient and sensitive method for the detection of equine arteritis virus (EAV)-specific serum antibodies, we developed an immunoblot assay employing the EAV nucleocapsid (N) and membrane (M) proteins expressed in a procaryotic expression vector (pMAL-c2) for the production of recombinant maltose-binding (MBP) fusion proteins (MBP-N and MBP-M). The antigenic reactivity of the recombinant fusion proteins and their Xa factor cleavage EAV products was confirmed by immunoblot using horse antisera to EAV. Some horse sera, however, showed immune reactivity to the MBP fusion partner pr...
Total protein and immunoglobulin concentrations in equine tears. Lacrimal fluid represents a major ocular surface defensive mechanism providing different concentrations of all immunoglobulin classes. In this report, four classes of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG and IgGT) have been measured in horse tears. As in others species, IgA is the main immunoglobulin responsible for local protection and constitutes quantitatively, 50% of all lacrimal proteins. The rest of immunoglobulins studied are normally present in equine tear fluid (though in lower concentration) and contribute to ocular surface immune protection. Female and adult horses showed significant high...
Antigenic analysis of Rhodococcus equi preparations using different horse sera. An R. equi vaccine, prepared under conditions which induce the expression of many antigens, and which has given encouraging results in field trials, was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblots and compared with other R. equi preparations: a preparation made in with the same technique from a nonvirulent isolate (virulence associated protein negative, VapA-negative); a whole cell preparation of a VapA-positive R. equi, prepared as a standard bacterin; and a semipurified VapA preparation (APTX). The antigens in these preparations were analyzed using hyperimmune sera (from adult horses vaccinated wit...
Enzyme immunoassay for measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in serum. We developed a rapid, competitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] in serum. The EIA was based upon 25(OH)D3-3-hemisuccinate covalently coupled to secondary amino groups grafted onto the polystyrene surface of microtiter wells. Optimal coupling conditions were established, and we found that inclusion of 40 mumol/L chloramine T, an agent not previously described for use in coupling to these plates, resulted in both more reproducible coupling as well as more than a twofold increase in the coupling efficiency. Before EIA, 25(OH)D3 was extracted from the serum...
Control of equine infectious anemia virus is not dependent on ADCC mediating antibodies. Horses infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have recurrent episodes of viremia which are eventually controlled, but the immune mechanisms have not been identified. Antibodies were detected to the surface of EIAV-infected cells within 1 month postinfection and remained for at least 3.5 years postinfection. These antibodies recognized cell surface-exposed envelope (Env) glycoproteins, but could not mediate antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) using EIAV-WSU5-infected equine kidney (EK) cells as targets and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or polymorphonuclear c...
