[Immune response in the chicken after intrabursal administration of silica: preliminary observations]

Immune response was studied in various experimental conditions using silica, a macrophage-toxic substance, in order to assess the role attributable to FAE cells, which have been demonstrated to be sensitive to this substance. Antibody response was tested in four different groups comprising seven animals each; the priming effect was studied in particular. It was observed that the silica considerably reduced the priming effect when the dose of antigen was administered in the bursal lumen at times immediately subsequent to the administration of the silica. The priming effect, on the contrary, was still present and was more marked when six hours elapsed between the administration of the silica and the priming dose.