Abstract
Using phytohemagglutinin (PHA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and concanavalin A, a lymphocyte blastogenesis test was performed for peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from six healthy calves, three calves affected with pneumonia and nine congenitally weak calves, whose conditions were confirmed clinically and macroscopically. Mean stimulation indices±standard error in healthy calves, calves with pneumonia, three weak calves and the other weak calves were, respectively, 53.3±22.0, 13.2±5.8, 2.8±0.45 and 61.7±19.3 with PHA, and 61.0±15.1, 6.1±2.1, 8.4±4.4 and 71.5±34.6 with PWM. These results suggest that some calves with a low immune response may be included in congenitally weak calves and that this test is useful for finding calves with a congenital low immune response.
