Hemagglutinin responses in Japanese quail treated with exogenous adrenocorticotrophin.

Injections of exogenous ACTH in chickens are known to cause immunosuppression provided that ACTH administration is properly timed with respect to immunization. In random-bred Japanese quail, injections of ACTH at various times both before and after immunization with erythrocyte antigens did not significantly alter antibody responses. This finding was consistent whether the ACTH was administered over a 4 hr or a 6 day period, and whether sheep or chukar erythrocytes were used as the antigen.