ENVIRONMENT-IMMUNE INTERACTIONS

The need for effective immune function for the maintenance of health h as been clearly established in both agriculturally significant animal species and humans. Intensive agricultural practices present productio n species with numerous disease challenges during the rearing period. Environmental factors represent a ubiquitous, yet frequently manageabl e, category of immunomodulators that can influence immune performance and ultimately disease susceptibility or resistance. However, strategi es for assessing overall immune potential have not been widely impleme nted for agricultural species. This is m contrast to the use of immune evaluation for human health considerations. Immune assessment relativ e to environmental-immune interactions can produce benefits in two are as. First, the efficiency of the production operation can be enhanced. Second, the welfare of the animals during the production cycle can be optimized. This paper presents an overview of environmental factors k nown to influence the immune function of poultry and the opportunities to manage environmental factors to benefit the health of the animals. In addition, the paper discusses the status of immunological assessme nt for humans and laboratory animals and proposes potential immune ass essment panels that could serve as a tool to optimize the environmenta l management of poultry populations.