Inflammatory cell and immune function in Merino sheep with chronic dermatophilosis

Components of inflammatory and immunological responses were compared in 17 Merino sheep with chronic dermatophilosis (Group 1) and 15 Merino sheep that had recovered from the disease (Group 2). The functions studied included: (i) total and differential white cell counts; (ii) phagocytic function and intracellular killing by neutrophils; (iii) humoral immune response to T-dependent and T-independent antigens and to Dermatophilus congolensis. (iv) lymphocyte blastogenic responses to phytohaemagglutinin; (v) bovine serum albumen and D. congolensis antigens; (vi) quantification of T-lymphocyte subsets in skin lesions resulting after re-infection with D. congolensis zoospores. After all lesions were treated and the sheep were shorn, both groups of sheep were re-infected with D. congolensis. Both groups had similar infection rate, severity of lesions and rate of resolution after re-infection. The Group 2 sheep had significantly higher primary and secondary antibody responses to killed Brucella abortus cells than Group 1 sheep, but Group 1 sheep had higher levels of specific D. congolensis antibody throughout the trial. Neutrophils from Group 1 sheep showed a higher phagocytic rate for D. congolensis zoospores than Group 2 sheep when the zoospores were opsonised by sera from the Group 1 sheep, but there was no difference in their ability to kill ingested zoospores. Although there were some differences between the groups in the proportion of lymphocytes in lesions that reacted with monoclonal antibodies to T4, T8 and T19-19 lymphocyte markers at various times after re-infection, the sheep in Group 2 consistently had higher levels of lymphocytes reacting to a monoclonal antibody for the T6 lymphocyte antigen in skin biopsies collected 9, 15 and 21 days post-inoculation (p.i.) than did sheep in Group 1. Group 2 sheep also had higher levels of epidermal cells with immunohistochemical properties of Langerhans cells at lesion sites 15 and 21 days p.i.