Meeting Abstract

S9.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Stress Effects on Immune Activity in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). KUHLMAN, Joshua R*; MARTIN, Lynn B; University of South Florida, Department of Biology, Division of Integrative Biology, Tampa, Fl 33620, USA.; University of South Florida, Department of Biology, Division of Integrative Biology, Tampa, Fl 33620, USA. jkuhlman@mail.usf.edu

Implantation of dental sponges under the skin of lab rodents has been used to evaluate whether acute stress enhances leukocyte infiltration to a surgical site. We replicated this technique in house sparrows, Passer domesticus, to test whether transient stressors cause similar immunoredistribution (i.e., movement of immune cells out of circulation and to the periphery) in a wild animal. As placement into captivity alone may serve as a stressor to wild animals, we first compared sponge infiltration over different periods of captivity. House sparrows were randomly assigned to one of three groups: sponge implantation at capture, after short duration captivity (1 or 2 days), or long duration captivity (1 month). Total leukocyte infiltration into the sponge varied among the three groups. Birds implanted at capture had greater leukocyte infiltration to the sponge compared to birds kept in captivity 1 or 2 days before implantation. Birds placed into captivity for 1 month before implantation showed similar sponge infiltration relative to the immediate implant group. However, time in captivity altered the dominant type of leukocytes present in the sponge at explant with lymphocytes decreasing with time in captivity and granulocytes increasing. Our study indicates that in house sparrows, time in captivity affects the magnitude and character of immune responses to surgery and more importantly data are suggestive of immunoredistribution.