Impact of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide stimulation on percentage of T and B cells in chicken

TLR stimulation in chickens has been shown to play a role in the initiation and regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. The aim of this study was to use flow cytometry to establish the percentage of T and B subset in blood and lymphoid organs in chicks after CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) stimulation. It was demonstrated that the percentages of CD3⁺, CD4⁺, TCRγ δ⁺ cells and Bu-1⁺MHC class II⁺ cells in blood 24 h post-injection were significantly higher than in the control groups. It was also shown that the percentages of CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ cells in the spleen at 48 h post-injection were significantly higher than in control groups. The percentage of Bu-1⁺ cells in the bursa of Fabricius after CpG ODN stimulation (98.38 ± 0.84) was significantly higher than that found in the non-CpG ODN control group (94.54 ± 2.51) (p ≤ 0.05). The results indicate that class B CpG ODN increases the percentage of both T (especially CD4⁺ cells) and B cells.