JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND VETERINARY MEDICINE
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2536-7099
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/JASVM
Start Year: 2016
Email: jasvm@integrityresjournals.org
Immunohistochemical evaluation of the expressed immunoglobulin M (IgM)-positive lymphocyte during the development of thymus in Nigerian native chicken
https://doi.org/10.31248/JASVM2025.617 | Article Number: 5C917D461 | Vol.11 (1) - February 2026
Received Date: 15 October 2025 | Accepted Date: 12 December 2025 | Published Date: 28 February 2026
Authors: Nnadozie, O.* , Nwaogu, I. C. , Igwebuike, U. M. and Ikpegbu, E.
Keywords: thymus., Nigerian native chicken, Immunoglobulin-M, immunohistochemistry, lymphocyte, embryo, unvaccinated chicks.
Immunoglobulins (Igs) or antibodies are glycoproteins synthesised by activated B lymphocytes that combat antigens. Among the three isotypes in chicken, immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the first expressed antibody following exposure to a novel antigen. The thymic expressions of IgM-positive lymphocytes were studied in Nigerian native chicken using immunohistochemistry to determine the relative time of appearance of IgM-positive lymphocytes without antigenic stimulation, as well as its periodic magnitude of occurrence in both embryos and unvaccinated chicks. Fifteen chicken embryos and twenty-five chicks were used for the study. Hatchable eggs laid by apparently healthy free-range hens were incubated in an electric egg incubator, and the embryos were harvested. The hatched chicks were raised in a deep-litter pen. The thymus of both embryos and post-hatch chicks was collected through a ventral neck incision at embryonic incubation day 10 (EID 10), EID 14, EID 18 and at hatch or day 0 (D 0), D 7, D 14, D 28, D 42 and fixed in neutral-buffered formalin. The fixed tissues were processed for immunohistochemical study using the indirect immunoperoxidase technique. IgM-positive lymphocytes appeared in the thymus at about EID 10. Throughout the embryonic periods up to the point of hatch, there were mild expressions of IgM-positive lymphocytes. Relatively moderate expressions were observed between D 7 and D 14 post-hatch, while there were marked expressions at D 28 and D 42. IgM-synthesising lymphocytes appeared early in the embryonic thymus, and its occurrence in substantial quantities in the post-hatch chicks' thymus indicates strong humoral immunological tendencies in growing Nigerian native chicken.
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