FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Immunol Immunopathol / Foals are interferon gamma-deficient at birth.
Veterinary immunology and immunopathology2006; 112(3-4); 199-209; doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2006.02.010

Foals are interferon gamma-deficient at birth.

Abstract: The increased vulnerability of foals to specific pathogens such as Rhodococcus equi is believed to reflect an innate immunodeficiency, the nature of which remains poorly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that neonates of many species fail to mount potent Th1 responses. The current research investigates the ability of circulating and pulmonary lymphocytes of developing foals to produce interferon gamma (IFNgamma). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were prepared from up to 10 horse foals at regular intervals throughout the first 6 months of life. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were collected at 1, 3 or 6 months of age from three groups of five foals. The PBMC and BAL cells were stimulated in vitro and IFNgamma production was measured by intracellular staining. In addition, RNA was extracted from freshly isolated and in vitro stimulated PBMC and BAL cells for quantitation of IFNgamma gene expression by real time PCR. Newborn foals exhibited a marked inability to express the IFNgamma gene and produce IFNgamma protein. This deficiency was observed in both circulating and pulmonary lymphocytes. However, IFNgamma gene expression and protein production increased steadily throughout the first 6 months of life, reaching adult levels within the first year of life. These findings suggest that foals are born with an inherent inability to mount a Th1-based cell mediated immune response which may contribute to their susceptibility to intracellular pathogens.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2006-04-18 PubMed ID: 16621024DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2006.02.010Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research suggests that baby horses (foals) are born with a significant deficiency in creating interferon gamma, a protein that’s vital for immune response. This deficiency, present in both their circulating and pulmonary lymphocytes, could contribute to their susceptibility to intracellular pathogens.

Objectives and Methodology of the Study

  • The study aimed to understand the nature of the seemingly innate immunodeficiency in foals, contributing to their increased vulnerability to specific pathogens such as Rhodococcus equi. A particular focus was on the foals’ ability to produce interferon gamma, an essential part of Th1 responses, which are critical for immunity against intracellular pathogens.
  • The foals’ ability to produce interferon gamma was assessed by preparing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from up to 10 foals at regular intervals throughout their first six months of life.
  • Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were also collected from three groups of five foals at 1, 3 or 6 months of age.
  • The team then stimulated the PBMC and BAL cells in vitro (in a controlled, experimental environment outside of the organism), and measured IFNgamma production by staining the intracellular components. Simultaneously, RNA was extracted from both freshly isolated and in vitro stimulated PBMC and BAL cells, in order to quantify IFNgamma gene expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Findings and Implications

  • The team observed that newborn foals demonstrated a severe inability to express the IFNgamma gene and to produce IFNgamma protein. This deficiency was found both in the circulating and pulmonary lymphocytes – cells which play a significant role in the immune system.
  • This capacity to express the IFNgamma gene and to produce the associated protein, however, increased gradually over the first six months of life, reaching the levels found in adult horses within the first year.
  • These findings provide evidence suggesting foals are born with an inherent incapacity to mount an effective Th1-based cell-mediated immune response, which possibly makes them more susceptible to intracellular pathogens.
  • The observations of this study contribute significant insights to understanding the immunodeficiency in foals, and could pave the way for potential preventive strategies or treatments to boost immune responses during the early stages of their life.

Cite This Article

APA
Breathnach CC, Sturgill-Wright T, Stiltner JL, Adams AA, Lunn DP, Horohov DW. (2006). Foals are interferon gamma-deficient at birth. Vet Immunol Immunopathol, 112(3-4), 199-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2006.02.010

Publication

Veterinary immunology and immunopathology
ISSN: 0165-2427
NlmUniqueID: 8002006
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 112
Issue: 3-4
Pages: 199-209

Researcher Affiliations

Breathnach, C C
  • Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA.
Sturgill-Wright, T
    Stiltner, J L
      Adams, A A
        Lunn, D P
          Horohov, D W

            MeSH Terms

            • Age Factors
            • Animals
            • Animals, Newborn
            • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
            • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / immunology
            • Colostrum / immunology
            • Flow Cytometry / veterinary
            • Gene Expression Regulation
            • Horses / genetics
            • Horses / immunology
            • Immunity, Innate / immunology
            • Interferon-gamma / deficiency
            • Interferon-gamma / genetics
            • Interferon-gamma / immunology
            • Ionomycin / pharmacology
            • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / drug effects
            • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / immunology
            • Lymphocyte Activation
            • Lymphocytes / immunology
            • RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis
            • RNA, Messenger / genetics
            • Random Allocation
            • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
            • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / pharmacology

            Citations

            This article has been cited 33 times.
            1. Rivolta AA, Bujold AR, Wilmarth PA, Phinney BS, Navelski JP, Horohov DW, Sanz MG. Comparison of the broncoalveolar lavage fluid proteomics between foals and adult horses.. PLoS One 2023;18(9):e0290778.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290778pubmed: 37669266google scholar: lookup
            2. Anna M, Łukasz M, Adam O, Chełmońska-Soyta A. Effectiveness of immunization with multi-component bacterial immunomodulator in foals at 35th day of life.. Sci Rep 2022 Sep 22;12(1):15795.
              doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17532-1pubmed: 36138050google scholar: lookup
            3. Taylor SD, Serpa PBS, Santos AP, Hart KA, Vaughn SA, Moore GE, Mukhopadhyay A, Page AE. Effects of intravenous administration of peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells after infusion of lipopolysaccharide in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Jul;36(4):1491-1501.
              doi: 10.1111/jvim.16447pubmed: 35698909google scholar: lookup
            4. Miller AB, Harris PA, Barker VD, Adams AA. Short-term transport stress and supplementation alter immune function in aged horses.. PLoS One 2021;16(8):e0254139.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254139pubmed: 34411137google scholar: lookup
            5. Bordin AI, Cohen ND, Giguère S, Bray JM, Berghaus LJ, Scott B, Johnson R, Hook M. Host-directed therapy in foals can enhance functional innate immunity and reduce severity of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia.. Sci Rep 2021 Jan 28;11(1):2483.
              doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82049-ypubmed: 33510265google scholar: lookup
            6. Migdał A, Migdał Ł, Oczkowicz M, Okólski A, Chełmońska-Soyta A. Influence of Age and Immunostimulation on the Level of Toll-Like Receptor Gene (TLR3, 4, and 7) Expression in Foals.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 26;10(11).
              doi: 10.3390/ani10111966pubmed: 33114637google scholar: lookup
            7. Anderson MJ, Ibrahim AS, Cooper BR, Woolcock AD, Moore GE, Taylor SD. Effects of administration of ascorbic acid and low-dose hydrocortisone after infusion of sublethal doses of lipopolysaccharide to horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Nov;34(6):2710-2718.
              doi: 10.1111/jvim.15896pubmed: 33026127google scholar: lookup
            8. Oladunni FS, Sarkar S, Reedy S, Balasuriya UBR, Horohov DW, Chambers TM. Equid Herpesvirus 1 Targets the Sensitization and Induction Steps To Inhibit the Type I Interferon Response in Equine Endothelial Cells.. J Virol 2019 Dec 1;93(23).
              doi: 10.1128/JVI.01342-19pubmed: 31511388google scholar: lookup
            9. Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O, Bąska P, Czopowicz M, Żmigrodzka M, Szarska E, Szczepaniak J, Nowak Z, Winnicka A, Cywińska A. Anti-Inflammatory State in Arabian Horses Introduced to the Endurance Training.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Aug 27;9(9).
              doi: 10.3390/ani9090616pubmed: 31462005google scholar: lookup
            10. Tallmadge RL, Wang M, Sun Q, Felippe MJB. Transcriptome analysis of immune genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of young foals and adult horses.. PLoS One 2018;13(9):e0202646.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202646pubmed: 30183726google scholar: lookup
            11. Tallmadge RL, Miller SC, Parry SA, Felippe MJB. Antigen-specific immunoglobulin variable region sequencing measures humoral immune response to vaccination in the equine neonate.. PLoS One 2017;12(5):e0177831.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177831pubmed: 28520789google scholar: lookup
            12. Wagner B, Perkins G, Babasyan S, Freer H, Keggan A, Goodman LB, Glaser A, Torsteinsdóttir S, Svansson V, Björnsdóttir S. Neonatal Immunization with a Single IL-4/Antigen Dose Induces Increased Antibody Responses after Challenge Infection with Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) at Weanling Age.. PLoS One 2017;12(1):e0169072.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169072pubmed: 28045974google scholar: lookup
            13. Rocha JN, Cohen ND, Bordin AI, Brake CN, Giguère S, Coleman MC, Alaniz RC, Lawhon SD, Mwangi W, Pillai SD. Oral Administration of Electron-Beam Inactivated Rhodococcus equi Failed to Protect Foals against Intrabronchial Infection with Live, Virulent R. equi.. PLoS One 2016;11(2):e0148111.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148111pubmed: 26828865google scholar: lookup
            14. McQueen CM, Dindot SV, Foster MJ, Cohen ND. Genetic Susceptibility to Rhodococcus equi.. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Nov-Dec;29(6):1648-59.
              doi: 10.1111/jvim.13616pubmed: 26340305google scholar: lookup
            15. Hamza E, Mirkovitch J, Steinbach F, Marti E. Regulatory T cells in early life: comparative study of CD4+CD25high T cells from foals and adult horses.. PLoS One 2015;10(3):e0120661.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120661pubmed: 25790481google scholar: lookup
            16. Vendrig JC, Coffeng LE, Fink-Gremmels J. Effects of orally administered galacto-oligosaccharides on immunological parameters in foals: a pilot study.. BMC Vet Res 2014 Nov 19;10:278.
              doi: 10.1186/s12917-014-0278-4pubmed: 25407340google scholar: lookup
            17. Cohen ND, Bourquin JR, Bordin AI, Kuskie KR, Brake CN, Weaver KB, Liu M, Felippe MJ, Kogut MH. Intramuscular administration of a synthetic CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide modulates functional responses of neutrophils of neonatal foals.. PLoS One 2014;9(10):e109865.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109865pubmed: 25333660google scholar: lookup
            18. Bordin AI, Pillai SD, Brake C, Bagley KB, Bourquin JR, Coleman M, Oliveira FN, Mwangi W, McMurray DN, Love CC, Felippe MJ, Cohen ND. Immunogenicity of an electron beam inactivated Rhodococcus equi vaccine in neonatal foals.. PLoS One 2014;9(8):e105367.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105367pubmed: 25153708google scholar: lookup
            19. Erganis O, Sayin Z, Hadimli HH, Sakmanoglu A, Pinarkara Y, Ozdemir O, Maden M. The effectiveness of anti-R. equi hyperimmune plasma against R. equi challenge in thoroughbred Arabian foals of mares vaccinated with R. equi vaccine.. ScientificWorldJournal 2014;2014:480732.
              doi: 10.1155/2014/480732pubmed: 24982958google scholar: lookup
            20. Lohmann KL, Lopez AM, Manning ST, Marques FJ, Brownlie R, Allen AL, Sangster AE, Mutwiri G, Gerdts V, Potter A, Townsend HG. Failure of a VapA/CpG oligodeoxynucleotide vaccine to protect foals against experimental Rhocococcus equi pneumonia despite induction of VapA-specific antibody and interferon-γ response.. Can J Vet Res 2013 Jul;77(3):161-9.
              pubmed: 24101791
            21. Vendrig JC, Coffeng LE, Fink-Gremmels J. Effects of Separate and Concomitant TLR-2 and TLR-4 Activation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Newborn and Adult Horses.. PLoS One 2013;8(6):e66897.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066897pubmed: 23840549google scholar: lookup
            22. Kachroo P, Ivanov I, Seabury AG, Liu M, Chowdhary BP, Cohen ND. Age-related changes following in vitro stimulation with Rhodococcus equi of peripheral blood leukocytes from neonatal foals.. PLoS One 2013;8(5):e62879.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062879pubmed: 23690962google scholar: lookup
            23. Liu C, Cook FR, Cook SJ, Craigo JK, Even DL, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC, Horohov DW. The determination of in vivo envelope-specific cell-mediated immune responses in equine infectious anemia virus-infected ponies.. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2012 Aug 15;148(3-4):302-10.
              doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2012.06.018pubmed: 22795699google scholar: lookup
            24. Harris SP, Hines MT, Mealey RH, Alperin DC, Hines SA. Early development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in neonatal foals following oral inoculation with Rhodococcus equi.. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2011 Jun 15;141(3-4):312-6.
              doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2011.03.015pubmed: 21481947google scholar: lookup
            25. Ryan C, Giguère S. Equine neonates have attenuated humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to a killed adjuvanted vaccine compared to adult horses.. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2010 Dec;17(12):1896-902.
              doi: 10.1128/CVI.00328-10pubmed: 20943883google scholar: lookup
            26. Wagner B, Burton A, Ainsworth D. Interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 production by T helper cells reveals intact Th1 and regulatory TR1 cell activation and a delay of the Th2 cell response in equine neonates and foals.. Vet Res 2010 Jul-Aug;41(4):47.
              doi: 10.1051/vetres/2010019pubmed: 20374696google scholar: lookup
            27. Prando C, Boisson-Dupuis S, Grant AV, Kong XF, Bustamante J, Feinberg J, Chapgier A, Rose Y, Jannière L, Rizzardi E, Zhang Q, Shanahan CM, Viollet L, Lyonnet S, Abel L, Ruga EM, Casanova JL. Paternal uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 6 causing a complex syndrome including complete IFN-gamma receptor 1 deficiency.. Am J Med Genet A 2010 Mar;152A(3):622-9.
              doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.33291pubmed: 20186794google scholar: lookup
            28. Oliveira AF, Ruas LP, Cardoso SA, Soares SG, Roque-Barreira MC. Vaccination of mice with salmonella expressing VapA: mucosal and systemic Th1 responses provide protection against Rhodococcus equi infection.. PLoS One 2010 Jan 13;5(1):e8644.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008644pubmed: 20072623google scholar: lookup
            29. Flaminio MJ, Nydam DV, Marquis H, Matychak MB, Giguère S. Foal monocyte-derived dendritic cells become activated upon Rhodococcus equi infection.. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2009 Feb;16(2):176-83.
              doi: 10.1128/CVI.00336-08pubmed: 19109450google scholar: lookup
            30. Mealey RH, Stone DM, Hines MT, Alperin DC, Littke MH, Leib SR, Leach SE, Hines SA. Experimental Rhodococcus equi and equine infectious anemia virus DNA vaccination in adult and neonatal horses: effect of IL-12, dose, and route.. Vaccine 2007 Oct 23;25(43):7582-97.
              doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.07.055pubmed: 17889970google scholar: lookup
            31. Jacks S, Giguère S, Crawford PC, Castleman WL. Experimental infection of neonatal foals with Rhodococcus equi triggers adult-like gamma interferon induction.. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2007 Jun;14(6):669-77.
              doi: 10.1128/CVI.00042-07pubmed: 17409222google scholar: lookup
            32. Jacks S, Giguère S, Prescott JF. In vivo expression of and cell-mediated immune responses to the plasmid-encoded virulence-associated proteins of Rhodococcus equi in foals.. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2007 Apr;14(4):369-74.
              doi: 10.1128/CVI.00448-06pubmed: 17301216google scholar: lookup
            33. Flaminio MJ, Borges AS, Nydam DV, Horohov DW, Hecker R, Matychak MB. The effect of CpG-ODN on antigen presenting cells of the foal.. J Immune Based Ther Vaccines 2007 Jan 25;5:1.
              doi: 10.1186/1476-8518-5-1pubmed: 17254326google scholar: lookup
            Subscribe to our newsletter
            Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.