Assays of cellular immunity.

Numerous cellular assays are available to study the response or activities of mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells in domestic species. When the assays, most developed originally to study rodent or human cells, are adapted to the cells of domestic species, minor or major modifications have been necessary. Furthermore, interpretation of results of the assays with cells from domestic species are not always consistent with those obtained in the original system, and it should not be expected that the assays will always provide results that can be interpreted similarly among species. Application and additional experience with these techniques, as well as new techniques, will provide a foundation for our understanding of the importance of cellular mechanisms in immunity of domestic species.