A TIME-COURSE STUDY OF THE TRANSFER OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN-G FROM BLOOD TOTRACHEAL AND LACRIMAL SECRETIONS IN YOUNG TURKEYS

Three-week-old turkeys were injected intravenously with Bordetella avi um-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), and absorbance readings were measu red in blood, tracheal washings, and lacrimal secretions using an enzy me-linked immunosorbent assay at various time intervals. IgG was detec ted in tracheal and lacrimal secretions as early as 5 minutes after in jection and peaked at 10 minutes after injection. Thereafter, IgG abso rbance declined rapidly, reaching background levels by 24 hours. The a bsorbance readings of IgG in all three sites were comparable at all ti mes from 10 minutes to 24 hours after administration. The results indi cated that movement of IgG from blood to mucosal surfaces in turkeys o ccurs rapidly.