Coccidiosis: localization of lymphoblasts in the infected small intestine

Abstract

Peripheral blood lymphocytes of chickens and thoracic duct lymphocytes and mesenteric lymph node cells of rats were labeled with 125I-deoxyuridine and injected i.v. into chickens or rats, respectively. After 16-18 h, the intestines of coccidia [Eimeria maxima, E. nieschulzi] infected animals contained more radioactivity than those of uninfected controls. This result was obtained with cell suspensions from infected and normal donors indicating that, as with nematode infected rodents, the increased homing of the cells to parasitized gut was not antigen specific. In chickens the stimulus which causes the increased homing of cells to the intestine was induced within hours of parasite inoculation. This reflects the rapid response of this host, previously described with other parameters, which may be characteristic of birds.