Study of some immune responses in postnatally, malnourished rats

Post weaning rats were fed protein deficient diet for about 6 weeks until their body weight/brain weight ratio started to decrease. Effect of such malnutrition on the plaque forming response of antibody producing spleen cells against three bacterial antigens, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella paratyphii and Staphylococcus aureus were studied. Mitogen stimulation of spleen cells was also studied using phytohemagglutinin and 3[H]-thymidine. Antibody plaque forming cell number and spleen cell stimulation response to phytohemagglutinin decreased significantly [P<001] in the malnourished rats as compared to the controls