The Significance of the Bursa of Fabricius in Antibody Production in Chickens

THE bursa of Fabricius, found only in the class Aves, exists as a pear-shaped dorsal diverticulum of the cloaca (Figure 1). In the chicken, the bursa is believed to function as a lymph gland for the first two or three months after hatching (Calhoun, 1933; and Glick, 1955). It has been reported that the bursa of Fabricius also plays a role in antibody production (Chang et al., 1955; and Glick et al., 1956). The data to be presented here are the results of experiments designed to further examine this property. Two antigens, Salmonella typhimurium and sheep erythrocytes, were injected intravenously or intramuscularly into chickens of different ages which had been bursectomized at various intervals prior to or after receiving the test antigens. EXPERIMENTAL The Experimental Animals: Broiler-type chickens, varying from 2 to 20 weeks of age, were selected as test animals. The birds were kept in cages on wire floors. . . .