Dynamics of immune cell infiltration in the caecal lamina propria of chickens after neonatal infection with a Salmonella enteritidis strain.

Dynamics of leucocyte infiltration and bacterial invasion in the caecal wall were studied after oral infection of 2-day-old chicks with Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis. Bacteria invaded the lamina propria of the caecal wall from 12h post-challenge onwards. Bacteriological examination of internal organs (liver, spleen) showed a peak in Salmonella bacteria at 3days post-infection, after which the number of bacteria decreased. Immunohistochemistry revealed macrophages and T-lymphocytes invading the caecal propria mucosae from 24h after challenge onwards, while B-lymphocytes came somewhat later, subsequently organising into follicular aggregates. An early increase in granulocytes was partly masked by the response to natural flora. While the B-lymphocyte and granulocyte populations were maintained, T-lymphocyte and macrophage populations were already reducing by 10days post-challenge. The infiltration of macrophages and T-lymphocytes in the caecal wall, followed by B-lymphocytes, is the result of an inflammatory response, caused by invading bacteria at this site. The structural maturation of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues is antigen driven, since B-cells organise in a follicular pattern.