Innate Immunity in Free-Ranging African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer): Associations with Parasite Infection and White Blood Cell Counts
Innate Immunity in Free-Ranging African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer): Associations with Parasite Infection and White Blood Cell Counts
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DOI：
10.1086/665276
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发表时间：
2012-05-01
影响因子：
1.6
通讯作者：
Jolles, Anna E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Beechler, Brianna R.;Broughton, Heather;Jolles, Anna E.
哺乳动物免疫学已经在实验室动物中进行了非常详细的研究，但很少有工具和从这些研究中获得的见解很少被置于受多变环境影响的自然远交野生动物种群的背景下。我们研究了自由放养的非洲水牛的先天免疫模式与宿主特征（年龄、繁殖状况、身体状况、白细胞计数）和疾病状况（牛结核病 [BTB]、胃肠道线虫、球虫、蜱虫）的关系。我们对 2008 年 6 月/7 月和 10 月在南非克鲁格国家公园捕获的 200 头雌性水牛进行了评估并使用了测量血液杀菌能力的体外测定来评估先天免疫的一个组成部分。患有 BTB 的动物具有更高的血液杀菌能力。中性粒细胞计数较高的动物具有较高的杀菌能力，而淋巴细胞计数较低的动物具有较高的杀菌能力。这种模式是由旱季结束时（十月）捕获的动物驱动的，可能是免疫极化的证据，即个体无法同时上调多种免疫成分。杀菌能力不随宿主妊娠状况、身体状况、年龄、哺乳期、蜱感染、线虫卵计数或球虫卵囊计数而变化。总的来说，我们证明杀菌能力测定对于野生牛科动物的实地研究是实用且信息丰富的。我们的结果还显示了杀菌能力与牛结核病感染之间的相关性，并揭示了自由放养的哺乳动物不同类型的免疫反应之间可能存在的功能极化。
Mammalian immunology has been studied in great detail in laboratory animals, but few of the tools and less of the insight derived from these studies have been placed in the context of natural, outbred wildlife populations subject to variable environments. We investigated patterns of innate immunity in free-ranging African buffalo in relation to host traits (age, reproductive status, body condition, white blood cell counts) and disease status (bovine tuberculosis [BTB], gastrointestinal nematodes, coccidia, ticks). We evaluated and used an in vitro assay measuring bactericidal competence of blood to assess a component of innate immunity in 200 female buffalo captured at Kruger National Park, South Africa, in June/July and October 2008. Animals with BTB had higher bactericidal competence of blood. Animals with higher neutrophil counts had higher bactericidal competence, whereas animals with lower lymphocyte counts had higher bactericidal competence. This pattern was driven by animals captured at the end of the dry season (October) and may be evidence of immune polarization, whereby individuals are unable to upregulate multiple components of immunity simultaneously. Bactericidal competence did not vary with host pregnancy status, body condition, age, lactation, tick infestation, nematode egg count, or coccidia oocyst count. Overall, we demonstrate that the bactericidal competence assay is practical and informative for field-based studies in wild bovids. Our results also show a correlation between bactericidal competence and bovine tuberculosis infection and reveal possible functional polarizations between different types of immune response in a free-ranging mammal.