Development of lymphocyte subpopulations in local breed chickens

Local breeds of chicken are known to have relatively higher disease resistance to many endemic diseases and diseases that are highly virulent in commercial chickens. This study aimed to address the lymphocyte subpopulations in three constitutive immune system organs (thymus, bursa of Fabricius, and spleen) in 30, 8-week-old, male local breed chickens.

The T (CD3⁺) and B lymphocytes (Bu-1⁺) were identified through one-color, direct immunofluorescent staining of the thymus, bursa, and spleen lymphocytes. Likewise, two-color, direct immunofluorescent staining was performed to identify the CD4- and/or CD8-defined T lymphocytes. The proportions of T and B lymphocytes and CD4- and/or CD8 defined chicken lymphocyte subsets in lymphoid suspensions prepared from the thymus, bursa, and spleen were determined by flow cytometry.

CD3⁺ cells, particularly those positive for CD4⁺CD8^-, were dominant in the thymus, whereas cells expressing the Bu-1 marker were predominant in the bursa of Fabricius. The proportion of T and B cells was almost equal in the spleen, with more cells expressing the CD4^-CD8⁺ marker in the red pulp.

These findings indicate that local breeds of chicken could serve as a reliable model for studying the immune system of commercial light chicken breeds, due to the similarity in the presence and the distribution of the immune cells.