Serological screening for MHC (B)-polymorphism in indigenous chickens

As part of a series of studies to characterize innate and specific immune responses of indigenous chicken lines, birds from Bolivia and India were screened serologically for MHC class IV (BG) polymorphism by direct haemagglutination using haplotype-specific antisera (B2, B4, B12, B13, B14, B15, B19, B21). The sample consisted of 95 Bolivian indigenous chickens and 119 hens from the four most common North Indian 'back-yard' chicken lines: Yellow Aseel (AP), Kadaknath (KN), frizzled typed (Ff-) and naked neck (NN). Of all chickens tested, the majority were haplotyped as B2, B15, B19 and B21. Of the Bolivian chickens, 89.5% could be haplotyped: 54.9% were homozygous (including 43.3% B15), and 34.6% were heterozygous (including 15.7% B15). B2-like haplotypes were not found among the Bolivian hens, and only 3.2% of these birds showed homozygous B21-like proteins. Of the Indian hens, MHC (BG)-like proteins could be detected in 60.0% of the AP birds, 6.7% of the KN birds; 40.0% of the Ff- birds; and 10.3% of the NN birds. In these lines, a total of 40.1% (AP), 6.7% (KN), 30.1% (Ff-) and 10.3% (NN) were homozygous for the B-haplotype. Only in the AP line (19.9%), and the Ff- line (9.9%) were heterozygous B-haplotypes types found. The B2 haplotype was found in all Indian chicken lines. Most Indian birds have completely unknown haplotypes, indicating a potentially interesting genetic pool. Subgrouping the Bolivian and Indian indigenous hens into monomorphic BG populations revealed individual differences based on the B-types.