ABSTRACT. To investigate the effects of oral administration of an interferon (IFN)-α drug on the immune reaction of healthy Japanese Black (JB) calves, peripheral leukocyte populations and their ability to produce cytokine mRNA were analyzed after oral administration of IFN-α. Fourteen calves fed in one herd were divided into two groups; seven calves were orally administered 0.1 g/day of IFN-α from the day of birth to day 5 on each day (group 1, N=7), and the other seven calves were used as the control (group 2, N=7). Blood samples were collected from the jugular veins of all calves before administration and in weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 after birth. The number of MHC class II + CD14 + monocytes in the leukocytes population of group 1 increased gradually after birth, and significantly higher numbers were detected in week 4 compared with group 2. MHC class II -CD14 + monocytes in group 1 peaked in week 1, and a significant increase was detected compared with group 2. The level of IL-12 in the cytokine mRNA of group 1 increased gradually between weeks 1 and 2, and a significantly higher level of IL-12 was found compared with group 2. These results suggest that oral administration of IFN-α induces activation of the monocyte functions in JB calves. KEY WORDS: cytokine production, interferon-α, Japanese Black calf, leukocyte population.
ABSTRACT. Neonatal Japanese Black (JB) calves show a high incidence of diarrhea. The objective of this study was to analyze the immune cell populations of neonatal JB calves in detail and examine its correlation with the incidence of diarrhea immediately after birth. Understanding the immune cell populations is helpful in clinics in order to determine the condition of the immune system for prevention of diseases. Blood samples were obtained from JB calves on the day of birth. The peripheral leukocyte populations were analyzed separately for calves that had diarrhea within 2 weeks after birth (diarrhea group; n=26) and for calves without diarrhea (control group; n=74). The numbers of the peripheral blood CD3 + TcR1-N12 + and CD8 + T cells were significantly lower in the diarrhea group compared with the control group. These findings suggest that the congenital lower peripheral and CD8 + T cells results in a high risk of diarrhea in neonatal JB calves.
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