[Use of the skin test in the evaluation of true levels of cellular immunity and levels after experimental administration of glucan and levamisole in feed-lot bulls].

Applicability of a skin test induced by dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) to quantification of the actual level of cellular immunity (CI) in vivo and its level after an experimental immunomodulation intervention were evaluated in two breeds (40 animals in each) of fattening bulls (10-11 months old). At the selected methodical procedure of intensity determination of the delayed type of hypersensitivity (DTH), its average value reached 4.5 +/- 1.5 mm in 80 animals, while in 77.5% of bulls its level ranged from 3.6 to 9.6 mm, in 18.7% from 2.0 to 3.5 mm and in 3.8% remained less than 2.0 mm. Evident expression of the reaction points to the possibility of application of the used methodical procedure of the skin test using DNFB to quantify the level of CI response in vivo in cattle. Percentual representation of animals according to the intensity of skin reaction (Tab. I) and concentration of total serum immunoglobulins (Cs-Ig) and serum IgG (Tab. II) indicates the different cellular and humoral state of animals in investigated breeds. This is also confirmed by the recorded average values of mentioned parameters which were significantly lower (P less than 0.01; or 0.05) in animals of the first breed (4.0 +/- 1.3 mm; 28.3 +/- 4.4 U ZST, 18.4 +/- 3.5 g.l-1) than in breed 2 (4.9 +/- 1.6 mm; 32.5 +/- 3.8 U ZST; 20.3 +/- 3.5 g.l-1). The animals of each breed were divided into four experimental groups with the approximately equal actual levels of DTH (Tab. III).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)