Immunology of Foals: Environmental Effects on Immune Maturation

Newborn foals can be susceptible to many viral and bacterial infections. One example is the unique susceptibility of young foals to Rhodococcus equi, a common cause of bronchopneumonia.
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Newborn foals can be susceptible to many viral and bacterial infections. One example is the unique susceptibility of young foals to Rhodococcus equi, a common cause of bronchopneumonia.

Foals’ increased susceptibility appears to be due to their immune systems not being as developed as those of adult horses. While maternal antibodies obtained through colostrum provide some degree of protection, immunity against intracellular pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria (Rhodococcus equi, for example), is dependent upon the generation of cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses. It is this component of the immune system that appears to be most deficient in foals and leads to their infection susceptibility.

The focus of the immunology research program at the Gluck Equine Research Center is to understand the underlying mechanism responsible for this deficiency, in order to develop therapeutic strategies that might increase a foal’s resistance to Rhodococcus equi and other infectious disease-causing pathogens.

Vaccines are typically used to protect horses from infectious diseases, but there are a number of difficulties associated with vaccinating young animals, due to their undeveloped immune systems. Newborn foals often produce sufficient antibodies, but they have a limited CMI response to vaccines. Such biasing toward an antibody response fails to provide protection against viral and bacterial infections, such as Rhodococcus equi. Horses must develop potent CMI responses to have complete immunity against these pathogens. The factors in newborn foals that are responsible for this are not known, but could include maternal environment during pregnancy

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