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Immune Responses in Malnourished Guinea Pigs^1,2,3,

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Consumer Research Center, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843

Groups of specific pathogen-free guinea pigs were randomly assigned to purified, isocaloric diets containing either 30%, 20%, or 10% casein, or commercial stock diet. Each animal was vaccinated subcutaneously with viable bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Seven weeks post-vaccination, groups of guinea pigs from each diet treatment were skin tested with purified protein derivative (PPD) and killed. Animals fed the 10% casein diet exhibited significant reductions in body weight, serum albumin, and hemoglobin levels. Significantly greater numbers of viable BCG were recovered from the inguinal lymph nodes of malnourished (10% casein) animals than from 30% casein or stock control groups. Skin test responses to PPD were completely absent or markedly suppressed in the 20% and 10% casein groups. Lymphocyte blastogenesis following in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes with a polyclonal T cell mitogen was also reduced in the 10% casein group. Circulating levels of serum IgM and C3 complement were not influenced by nutritional status while levels of IgG were elevated in 10% and 20% casein groups. These results suggest that malnutrition may impair cell-mediated immune responses on which the efficacy of BCG vaccine depends.

KEY WORDS: • malnutrition • cell-mediated immunity • BCG vaccine

¹ Supported, in part, by NIH grant AI-15495 and the American Lung Association.

² Presented, in part, at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Anaheim, CA, April, 1980. McMurray, D. N. and Yetley, E. A., Fed. Proc. 39, 1126 (1980); and at the Western Hemisphere Nutrition Congress 6, Los Angeles, CA, August, 1980.

³ Research for this project was conducted by the co-author during her tenure at Texas A & M University. The opinions expressed represent those of the authors, not the policy or opinions of the Food and Drug Administration where the second author is currently employed.

⁴ To whom reprint requests should be sent.

⁵ Current address: Division of Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 200 C St., S. W., Washington, DC 20204.

Manuscript received 23 June 1981.