The immune response of West African dwarf goats to chicken red blood cells

West African dwarf (WAD) goats were immunized with chicken red blood cells and their antibody response assessed by direct haemagglutination. Kids of about 1 month old developed antibody titres (log2 5.63 +/- 0.69) which were significantly lower (P less than 0.001) than those of adults (log2 7.78 +/- 1.12) and 3 month old kids (log2 7.40 +/- 0.89). The antibody titres of the latter did not differ significantly from those of adults. It is suggested that this early immune maturity may play a role in the hardiness of WAD goats and in their relative resistance to helminth and protozoan infection as compared with local sheep.