The influence of ACTH on blood lymphocyte nucleoli in chickens fed with quantitatively limited food.

The aim of the study was to observe the changes of the nucleoli index of lymphocytes in the blood of eight-week-old chickens which, after a 15-19 day quantitatively limited diet, were administered intravenously a single dose of 1 IU ACTH per 100 g body weight of a chicken. The experimental chickens, as compared with the control ones, showed an increased nucleolar index of lymphocytes (percent ratio of lymphocytes with active nucleoli to the per cent of lymphocytes with micronucleoli). The value of this index was inversely proportional to that calculated from mean weights of lymphatic organs and suprarenal glands, used for assessment of stress in chickens. At the same time, the results of the research--concerning controversial behaviour of eosinophils in the peripheral blood in chickens in the course of stress--would suggest the level of these morphotic elements to be dependent on the kind of stressor acting on the birds' organism.