With Changes
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Costs and benefits of maternally derived immunity in a game bird system Matthew B. Ellis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh 2009 Table of Contents CONTENTS .................................................................................................... I ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. IV DECLARATION............................................................................................ VI ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................................. VII CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................1 1.1.1. Maternal effects..................................................................................................................1 1.1.2. Maternally derived immunity..............................................................................................4 1.1.3. Maternally derived immunity as a vaccination strategy........................................................9 1.1.4. Maternally derived immunity as a vaccination strategy in game birds ................................ 11 1.2. Aims........................................................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2 - COSTS AND BENEFITS OF THE COXABIC VACCINE TO LAYING HENS ............................................................................................ 16 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 16 2.1.1. The costs and benefits of immunity ................................................................................... 17 2.1.2. Coccidiosis: Biology and methods of control..................................................................... 21 2.1.3. The CoxAbic vaccine........................................................................................................ 27 2.2. The effects of CoxAbic and individual vaccine components on maternal traits ................... 33 2.2.1. Materials and methods ...................................................................................................... 33 2.2.2. Statistical analyses............................................................................................................ 36 2.2.3. Results ............................................................................................................................. 38 2.2.3.a. The effect of treatment on egg characters ................................................................... 38 2.2.3.b. The effect of treatment on hen weight and condition .................................................. 38 2.3. The effects of CoxAbic and housing substrate on maternal traits......................................... 38 2. 3.1. Materials and methods ...................................................................................................... 38 2.3.2. Statistical analyses............................................................................................................ 42 2.3.3 Results .............................................................................................................................. 44 2.3.3.a. The effects of treatment and substrate on egg characters............................................. 44 2.3.3.c. The effect of treatment on hen weight and condition................................................... 48 2.3.3.d. The effect of vaccination on hens ability to cope with live challenge .......................... 51 2.4 Discussion................................................................................................................................ 52 CHAPTER 3 - BENEFITS OF THE COXABIC VACCINE TO CHICKS ...... 59 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 59 3.1.1. The benefits of maternal vaccination ................................................................................. 60 I 3.1.2. The costs of maternal vaccination...................................................................................... 63 3.2 Materials and methods............................................................................................................ 64 3.2.1. Experimental Design......................................................................................................... 64 3.2.3. Statistical analyses............................................................................................................ 69 3.3 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 70 3.3.1. The effect of maternal treatment on chick growth and condition ........................................ 70 3.3.2. The effect of maternal treatment on offspring response to live challenge............................ 74 3.3.3. Mortality .......................................................................................................................... 74 3.4 Discussion................................................................................................................................ 76 CHAPTER 4 - FEMALE IMMUNE RESPONSES TO VACCINATION WITH THE COXABIC VACCINE AND LIVE CHALLENGE WITH EIMERIA . ....... 81 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 81 4.1.1. Immunity and life history trade-offs .................................................................................. 81 4.1.2. The avian immune system................................................................................................. 84 4.1.3. Immunology of Eimeria infections.................................................................................... 87 4.2. The effect of CoxAbic and the associated adjuvant on immune responses ........................... 88 4.2.1. Methods ........................................................................................................................... 88 4.2.1.a. ELISA technique ....................................................................................................... 91 4.2.2. Statistical analyses............................................................................................................ 93 4.2.3. Results ............................................................................................................................. 94 4.2.3.a. What effect do the different components of the CoxAbic vaccine have on the immune system? ................................................................................................................................. 94 4.2.3.b. What effect does an immune response have on egg characters? .................................. 94 4.3. The effect of CoxAbic and rearing substrate on immune responses ..................................... 96 4.3.1. Methods ........................................................................................................................... 96 4.3.2. Statistical analyses............................................................................................................ 97 4.3.3. Results ............................................................................................................................. 99 4.3.3.a. How does vaccination affect the change in antibody titres in the presence and absence of environmental exposure? ....................................................................................................... 99 4.3.4. Factors associated with individual variation in immune responses.................................... 101 4.3.4.a. How do Serum OD values correlate with body condition? ........................................ 101 4.3.4.b. How do serum OD values correlate with reproductive characteristics?...................... 104 4.4 Discussion.............................................................................................................................. 107 CHAPTER 5 - MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF MALE CHARACTERS ON FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE EFFORT IN PHASIANIDAE ......................... 116 5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 116 5.1.1. Differential allocation ..................................................................................................... 117 5.2 Experiment 1 (Ring-necked Pheasant) ................................................................................. 121 5.2.1. Sexual selection and differential allocation in the pheasant .............................................. 121 5.2.2. Materials and methods .................................................................................................... 122 5.2.2.a. Assessing male traits ............................................................................................... 123 5.2.2.b. Measuring female reproductive investment in response to male traits ....................... 126 5.2.3. Statistical analyses.......................................................................................................... 127 5.2.4. Results ..........................................................................................................................