Cytokine Gene Expression and IgA Production in the Spleen of Chickens Infected with Eimeria tenella

Abstract

To explore the effect of Eimeria tenella infection on the cytokines gene expression and IgA production in the spleen of chickens, the morphological characteristics of the spleen were observed through optical and transmission electron microscopy. The IgA production was determined through immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression levels of splenic cytokines were detected through real-time PCR. Compared to the control group, along with the infection of E. tenella, the splenic lymphocytes exhibited irregular and cracked membranes, mitochondria swelled even vacuolization, the IgA expression in spleen tissue was decreased by 55.57% (p lessthan 0.01). Likewise, the mRNA expression levels of IL-2 and IL-1â decreased by 40% (plessthan 0.01) and 43% p lessthan 0.05), respectively. By contrast, the IL-6, IFN-g and IL-10 levels increased by 158% (p lessthan 0.01), 464% (p lessthan 0.05) and 379% p lessthan 0.01), respectively. These results indicated that the spleen implement an important function in the antagonism of E. tenella, which suggest a new strategy to control coccidiosis by improving the peripheral immunity of chickens.