Diet quality affects postnuptial molting and feather quality of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): interaction with humoral immune function?

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 834-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Péter László Pap ◽  
Csongor István Vágási ◽  
Gábor Árpád Czirják ◽  
Zoltán Barta

We investigated the effects of nutritional limitation, humoral immune activation, and their interaction on postnuptial molting of aviary-kept house sparrows ( Passer domesticus (L., 1758)). In a 2 × 2 experimental design, we measured the progress of molting and the quality of feathers produced during molting by house sparrows exposed to different diet qualities (high and low) and humoral immune activation with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Food quality, but not the activation of humoral immunity, affected significantly the body mass and the process of molting. Sparrows feeding on low-quality food had decreased body mass and longer molts than the high-quality group. Low-quality food, but not the activation of humoral immunity, reduced significantly the length and mass (i.e., the quality) of primaries grown during molting. Birds responded significantly to injection with SRBC compared with the control group, but the immune response was similar between nutritional groups. The absence of a negative effect of humoral immunity on molting in house sparrows might be related to the low energy and nutritional requirements of mounting and maintaining a humoral immune response.

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Bruce McGillivray

Much of the variance in feeding rates of nestlings by adult House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) at Calgary, Alberta appears to be due to individual variation in the quality of the parents. Males contribute less to nestling feeding than do males at other localities. The body size and sexual size dimorphism of House Sparrows has been shown to increase with increasing latitude in North America. Hence, sparrows at Calgary are larger than average and there is a suggestion that the relative contribution by the sexes is related to male size and concomitant energetic limitations. The relationship between weight and body size is strong in the fall for both male and female House Sparrows but is poor during the breeding season. Adult females, but not males, increase their nestling feeding rate in inclement weather.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Luciana Siqueira Silveira dos Santos ◽  
Carolina Silveira Mascarenhas ◽  
Paulo Roberto Silveira dos Santos ◽  
Nara Amélia da Rosa Farias

The aim of this study was to report the species of haematophagous parasitic mites of Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and analyze the infestation rates regarding to gender, body mass, and total length of the hosts. To do so, each of the 100 house sparrows captured in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, was identified by gender, weighed, and measured. The mite collection was carried out after applying an ectoparasite-repelling talc in the body of the birds. Pellonyssus reedi was found in 29 house sparrows with mean intensity of 8.37 mites/host and Ornithonyssus bursa was found in two birds, only one male host showing co-infestation. The prevalence and mean intensity of P. reedi between male and female adults did not show significant difference, nor was there any correlation among species abundance, body mass, and total length of the house sparrows. We report the occurrence of P. reedi and O. bursa parasitizing P. domesticus in the southern of Brazil.


2002 ◽  
Vol 195 (6) ◽  
pp. 737-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. O'Connor ◽  
Marilia Cascalho ◽  
Randolph J. Noelle

The contribution that long-lived bone marrow (BM) plasma cells (PCs) provide to enduring humoral immunity has been underscored by a number of recent studies. However, little is known about the immediate precursors that give rise to long-lived PCs in the BM of immune individuals. We have identified subsets of antigen-experienced B cells within the immune BM that are precursors to PCs. These PC precursors arise in the BM 14 days after immunization and persist for greater than 9 months. Phenotypically distinct subsets of PC precursors give rise to short-lived or long-lived PCs. The differentiation of PC precursors to PCs occurs in the absence of antigen and requires cell division. The functional significance of these newly identified PC precursors in the persistence and quality of the humoral immune response is discussed.


Pulmonology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jhonatan Betancourt-Peña ◽  
Juan Carlos Ávila-Valencia ◽  
Diana Milena Diaz-Vidal ◽  
Vicente Benavides-Córdoba

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Chen ◽  
Chengguang Zhang ◽  
Haoqi Li ◽  
Zongmei Wang ◽  
Yueming Yuan ◽  
...  

Rabies, caused by rabies virus (RABV), is fatal to both humans and animals around the world. Effective clinical therapy for rabies has not been achieved, and vaccination is the most effective means of preventing and controlling rabies. Although different vaccines, such as live attenuated and inactivated vaccines, can induce different immune responses, different expression of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) also causes diverse immune responses. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a pivotal PRR that induces cytokine production and bridges innate and adaptive immunity. Importantly, TLR4 recognizes various virus-derived pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and virus-induced damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), usually leading to the activation of immune cells. However, the role of TLR4 in the humoral immune response induced by RABV has not been revealed yet. Based on TLR4-deficient ( TLR4 -/- ) and wild-type (WT) mouse models, we report that TLR4-dependent recruitment of the conventional type-2 dendritic cells (CD8α - CD11b + cDC2) into secondary lymph organs (SLOs) is critical for antigen presentation. cDC2-initiated differentiation of Tfh cells promotes the proliferation of germinal centre (GC) B cells, the formation of GCs, and the production of plasma cells (PCs), all of which contribute to the production of RABV-specific IgG and virus-neutralizing antibodies (VNAs). Collectively, our work demonstrates that TLR4 is necessary for the recruitment of cDC2 and for the induction of RABV-induced humoral immunity, which is regulated by the cDC2-Tfh-GC B axis. IMPORTANCE Vaccination is the most efficient method to prevent rabies. TLR4, a well-known immune sensor, plays a critical role in initiating innate immune response. Here, we found that TLR4 deficiency ( TLR4 -/- ) mice suppressed the induction of humoral immune response after immunization with rabies virus (RABV), including reduced production of VNAs and RABV-specific IgG, compared with that occurred in wild-type (WT) mice. As a consequence, TLR4 -/- mice exhibited higher mortality than WT mice after challenge with virulent RABV. Importantly, further investigation found that TLR4 signaling promoted the recruitment of cDC2 (CD8α + CD11b - ), a subset of cDCs known to induce CD4 + T cell immunity through their MHC-II presentation machinery. Our results imply that TLR4 is indispensable for an efficient humoral response to rabies vaccine, which provides new insight into the development of novel rabies vaccines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1668-1670
Author(s):  
Mykola M. Ostrovskyy ◽  
Nadiia V. Korzh

The aim: To evaluate the effect of overweight on the quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients GOLD III. Materials and methods: 65 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD GOLD III) were examined in different phases of pathological process. The pulmonary function (PF) test was performed by means of “SPIROKOM” device (Ukraine). The degree of overweight was determined by calculating the body mass index (BMI) using the formula І = m/h² (m – body mass in kilograms, h – height, square of the height in meters (kg/m²). Patients’ quality of life was evaluated with the help of standardized St.George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Results: The study revealed changes in the PF indices and the decrease in quality of life in overweight patients, especially in case of destabilization of the pathological process. Conclusions: The obtained results show that overweight is the underlying condition for more severe course of the pathology and requires further study of its impact on the health and quality of life of patients in order to improve the effectiveness of treatment.


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