This study was conducted to evaluate immunological changes in peripheral blood leukocytes in pigs that were genetically selected for their improved resistance to mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine (MPS), using MPS vaccine as an antigen. Twelve castrated MPS-selected Landrace pigs were compared with the same number of pigs from a nonselected line by using a time-course analysis at the hematological level. After the second sensitization with MPS vaccine, the percentages of B cells, CD4(+) T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells in total leukocytes were lower in the selected line than in the nonselected line, whereas the percentage of granulocytes in total leukocytes increased in the MPS-selected line. We also assessed the proliferative ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, lipopolysaccharide or concanavalin A, and found that although the proliferative ability of the PBMC was not different between the two lines at a steady state, the nonselected line showed a significantly higher proliferative ability after sensitization with MPS vaccine than the selected line regardless of antigens used. These results thus indicate that the selection of pigs on the basis of MPS resistance changes their immunophenotype, and would give us beneficial information for the prevention of MPS infection.
Keywords: Landrace pigs; disease resistance; immunity; mycoplasmal pneumonia.
© 2013 Japanese Society of Animal Science.