THE INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL SEPARATION ON HUMORAL AND CELLULAR-IMMUNITYIN FARMED DEER

The effect of maternal separation on in vivo and in vitro immune param eters was studied in young hybrid deer. Groups of fawns separated from their mothers either 2 days prior to or 7 days post immunization with keyhole limpet hemocyanin were compared with a control group of immun ized, unseparated fawns. Animals separated prior to antigenic challeng e had significantly higher concentrations of antigen-specific IgG in t heir serum than control animals. There was no influence on the humoral immune response in animals separated following immunization. In contr ast, Con A transformations were transiently depressed in separated ani mals compared to the control group. The time separation was imposed re lative to challenge and therefore influenced the subsequent immune res ponse. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.