Effect of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, Corynebacterium parvum and mycobacterium cell wall extract on in vitro blastogenic responses of bovine blood lymphocytes.

In vivo inoculation of three-month-old calves with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC), killed Corynebacterium parvum or mycobacterium cell wall extract (MCWE) resulted in an enhancement of in vitro peripheral blood lymphocyte blastogenic responses to mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and Concanavalin A (Con A) in the first three days after treatment. In a separate experiment, blood lymphocytes isolated from a healthy nontreated calf were incubated in vitro in presence of each of the same immunostimulating agents and tested for their blastogenic responses to PHA and Con A. The results showed that all immunostimulants, excepting DTC, enhanced the in vitro blastogenic responses of lymphocytes to PHA and Con A. Finally, addition of MCWE to cultures of blood lymphocytes isolated from calves vaccinated intramuscularly with bovine rotavirus and adjuvant resulted in an enhancement of the in vitro lymphocyte transformation to rotavirus. Our study demonstrated that DTC, killed Corynebacterium parvum and mycobacterium cell wall extract were able to enhance bovine T cell proliferation in vitro.