Avian Immunology By Karel A. Schat, Bernd Kaspers, Pete Kaiser 2nd Edition







1.1 INTRODUCTION

The avian immune system provides an invaluable

model for studies of basic immunology. Birds and mammals

evolved from a common reptilian ancestor more

than 200 million years ago and have inherited many

common immunological systems. They have also developed

a number of very different and, in some cases,

remarkable strategies. Because of their economic importance,

and the ready availability of inbred lines, most

avian immunology research has involved the domestic

chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus. A noteable consequence

of this research has been the seminal contribution it has

made to understanding fundamental immunological

concepts, especially the complete separation of developing

bursa- (B-) and thymus- (T-) dependent lymphocyte

lineages. Some of these observations were made by

chance, while others resulted from painstaking work

which took advantage of special avian features, such as

ease of access to, and precise timing of, all stages in

embryonic development. Some of the avian findings that

were described before being recognized as important

and subsequently explained in mainstream immunology.

The story of avian immunology is fascinating and

by no means complete, as there is still the need for explanations

of a number of unique features and the different

strategies adopted by the avian system. In this chapter,

some of the “firsts”, rightly attributed to avian immunology,

are described and the importance of further studies

in avian immunology is highlighted.


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