Vitamin D deficiency alters the immune responses of broiler chicks

• Published in: Poultry science 1998-06, Vol.77 (6), p.842-849
• Main Authors: Aslam, S.M. (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.), Garlich, J.D, Qureshi, M.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Feed; Animals; Antibody Formation; BASOPHILS; Basophils - immunology; BAZO; BOLSA DE FABRICIO; BOURSE DE FABRICIUS; BROILER CHICKENS; BURSA FABRICII; CARENCE EN VITAMINE; Cells, Cultured; Chickens; CHICKS; CHOLECALCIFEROL; DEFICIENCIA DE VITAMINAS; EFFICACITE ALIMENTAIRE; EFICIENCIA DE CONVERSION DEL PIENSO; FEED CONVERSION EFFICIENCY; FEED INTAKE; Female; GAIN DE POIDS; GANANCIA DE PESO; GRANULOCITOS; GRANULOCYTE; GRANULOCYTES; GROWTH RATE; HYPERSENSITIVITY; IMMUNE RESPONSE; INDICE DE CRECIMIENTO; INGESTION DE PIENSOS; LIVEWEIGHT GAIN; MACROFAGOS; MACROPHAGE; MACROPHAGES; Macrophages, Peritoneal - immunology; Nutritional Status; PESO; Phagocytosis; POIDS; POLLITO; POLLO DE ENGORDE; POULET DE CHAIR; Poultry Diseases - immunology; POUSSIN; PRISE ALIMENTAIRE (ANIMAUX); PRUEBAS CUTANEAS; RATE; REACCIONES ALERGICAS; REACTION ALLERGIQUE; REPONSE IMMUNITAIRE; RESPUESTA INMUNOLOGICA; SKIN TESTS; SPLEEN; TAUX DE CROISSANCE; TEST CUTANE; THYMUS (GENERO); THYMUS (GENRE); THYMUS (GENUS); VITAMIN D; Vitamin D Deficiency - immunology; Vitamin D Deficiency - veterinary; VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES; VITAMINA D; VITAMINE D; WEIGHT; WEIGHT GAIN
• ISSN: 0032-5791
• DOI: 10.1093/ps/77.6.842

Three experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that a vitamin D deficiency alters the immune responses of female broiler chicks. The control diet contained 800 IU of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3)/kg and the deficient diet was the same except without supplemental vitamin D3. The vitamin D deficiency status was established on the basis of a significantly lower blood ionized calcium or total serum calcium (75 to 85% of the control). Vitamin D-deficient chicks also had lower growth rate and bone ash. In Experiment 1 at 8 d of age, and Experiment 2 at 23 d of age, the cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity response as determined by the increase in interdigital skin thickness 20 h after a single injection of 100 micrograms phytohemagglutinin-P was significantly depressed in vitamin D-deficient chicks (62 to 64% of the control). Thymus weight, adjusted for body weight, was significantly lower in the vitamin D-deficient chicks at 24 d of age (61% of the control). Primary and secondary antibody responses against SRBC in vitamin D-deficient chicks were not different from the control. In Experiment 3, in 17-d-old chicks, vitamin D deficiency decreased the number of abdominal macrophages phagocytizing SRBC in vitro within 45 min from 14.7 to 10.1%. These results indicate that vitamin D deficiency depresses the cellular immune responses in young broiler chicks