Development of a microculture system for stimulation of chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes with concanavalin A.

A microculture system in conjunction with a semiautomatic multiple sample harvester (SAMSH) was used to study the in vitro properties of chicken peripheral lymphocytes. This new procedure enabled doing rapid multiple tests, using relatively few cells, and was highly reproducible. Data were presented to show many variables that are involved in studying the concanavalin A (Con A) response of chicken lymphocytes in a microculture system. Analysis indicated that the conditions for optimal Con A stimulation as measured by incorporation of 3H-TdR include: (a) use of 2 x 10(6) cells per culture in RPMI 1640 culture medium in the absence of any serum, (b) use of 0.4 mug of Con A per culture, (c) incubation at 37 degrees C for 72 hours, and (d) addition of 1 muCi of 3H-TdR to each culture 12 to 24 hours prior to termination. This technique could be used to monitor immunocompetence of the chicken.