Effect of halothane anaesthesia on primary antibody response in the chicken

The effect of a single anaesthesia of 2 hours' duration with 1% v/v halothane and of 1, 2, and 3 hours' duration with 2% v/v halothane was studied on the primary antibody response in line-bred chickens. In contradistinction to earlier studies, the immunisation was performed during anaesthesia to resemble antigenic exposure in surgical practice. The IgG and IgM antibodies against the antigens, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and formalin-killed Brucella abortus organisms (Brucella), were quantified by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The halothane concentration of the blood was measured by gas chromatography at the end of anaesthesia. Anaesthesia with 1% and 2% v/v halothane given in the antigen-processing phase of humoral immune response had no effect on the concentrations of IgG-and IgM-anti-BSA and IgG-and IgM-anti-Brucella antibodies in the primary antibody response.