Induction of Immunologic Unresponsiveness in Chickens with Avian Serum Proteins

Intraperitoneal injections of 1.0 or more mg of turkey γ-globulin (TGG) into “wet” chicks resulted in partial or complete inhibition of precipitin production at 6 weeks of age. Persistence of complete tolerance was evident up to 12 weeks in the group receiving 50 mg TGG. Partial tolerance was present at 22 weeks in those receiving 100 mg TGG. Greater amounts of goose γ-globulin (GGG) were necessary to produce even a partial state of tolerance. This correlates with the phylogenetic relationship of the two proteins to the chicken. These experiments confirmed that the duration of immunologic tolerance was related to the dose of the antigen administered at birth and that chickens are made tolerant more easily to avian than mammalian serum proteins. Chickens produce good quantities of precipitating antibodies to GGG but not to TGG.