El factor de transferencia como inductor de la expresión de RNAm de IFN-γ e IL-2 en pollos vacunados contra influenza aviar

Avian influenza is a disease of paramount economical importance for tbe poultry industry. In Mexico, only low pathogenicity H5N2 strain has been reported and it is controlled through inactivated-virus inoculation. This emulsified vaccine reduces clinical signs indeed, but not viral shedding. Over the last 50 years Transfer Factor (TF) has shown to be an efficient immunomodulator and has been used successfully in human clinical cases, and less cornmonly in animal models. The aim of this work was to establish an avian influenza-specific TF dose able to produce the highest percentage of mRNA expression of tbe following cytokines: IL-2 and IFN-y. An experiment to show the mRNA expression of these cytokines in chicken previously inoculated witb avian influenza-specific TF was set up. In the first experiment 0.1, 1 and !O TF units were inoculated into 3 different groups of chickens; PCR for cytokines fram splenic tissue was performed. For the second experiment, a second TF inoculation in combination with the vaccine was carried out using 3 new groups of chicken. Experiment 1: Only IL-2 expression was achieved in 58.33% of chickens using 1 TF unit (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, 75% of chickens showed IL-2 with 1 TF unit (P < 0.05) and all of them (100%) expressed IFN-y (P < 0.01). Fram these results it can be concluded that IFN-y and IL-2 expression can be induced by the inoculation of 1 TF unit (equivalent to 7.3 i. ig of pratein) at the beginning of the experiment pracedure and after a second inoculation ofTF (10 days after) together witb the inactivated virus vaccine.