The effect of varying dietary concentrations of vitamin A on immune response in the turkey

D. Sklan, D. Melamed, A. Friedman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

1. The effect of dietary vitamin A on antibody production and T-cell proliferative response was determined in poults from 21 to 41 d old. Poults were fed on soyabean meal-sorghum-based diets with concentrations of supplemented vitamin A from 0 to 13.2 ug/g retinol equivalents from hatching and were immunised with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and turkey pox vaccines. T-cell proliferation response to concanavlin A was determined in vitro at 31 d old. Antibodies to NDV and turkey pox in serum were determined at 10 and 20 d after inoculation. 2. Poults receiving the diet with no added dietary vitamin A died by 22 d and had very low concentrations of plasma and liver vitamin A. 3. Increasing dietary concentrations of vitamin A enhanced the proliferative response until the diet contained 6.0 ug/g, above which the response began to decrease. The antibody titres to NDV and turkey pox increased as dietary vitamin A increased, with maximal values found 10 d after inoculation with 6.0 ug/g. At 20 d after inoculation low antibody titres were found with low vitamin A intake. 4. These data suggest that maximal immune responses in the poult may be achieved at dietary intakes of vitamin A at or higher than those recommended by NRC (1984, 1994).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)385-392
Number of pages8
JournalBritish Poultry Science
Volume36
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 1995

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