Role of environmental stressor-host immune system–pathogen interactions in development of infectious disease in farm animals

ABSTRACT

Animal husbandry serves as a source of provision of high-quality animal protein to the entire world population. Farm animals are exposed to different types of stressors at various stages of their life cycle. The climate change phenomenon also imposes additional stress on the animals due to extreme temperature (heat and cold) and unavailability of feed, etc. Such stress stimuli induce the release of stress hormones such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol in animals. These stress hormones reduce the host’s production, reproduction and also influence the immune mechanisms. Recent researches revealed the stress hormone responsiveness of micro-organisms. Stress hormones were shown to increase the bacterial growth and virulence mechanisms, and the infectious disease process. This concept gains significance in the stress-related disease outbreaks in animals. Therefore, a brief discussion of important stressors affecting farm animals, their influence on the host immune system and disease pathogenesis was done in this review.

Abbreviations: ACTH: Adrenocorticotropic hormone; CA: Catecholamine; cAMP: cyclic Adenosine monophosphate; CD80: Cluster of Differentiation 80; CD83: Cluster of Differentiation 83; CD86: Cluster of Differentiation 86; CRH: Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone; DC: Dendritic cells; DNA: Deoxy Ribo Nucleic acid; EHEC: Enterohaemorrhagic E.coli; EPI: Epinephrine; ETEC: Enterotoxigenic E.coli; GH: Glucocorticoid; GIS: Geographic Information System; GPS: Global Positioning System; HPA: Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal; ICT: Information and Communication technology; IFN-β: Interferon-β; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; IL-10: Interleukin-10; IL-13: Interleukin-13; IL-4: Interleukin-4; IL-6: Interleukin-6; IL-8: Interleukin-8; IMH: Intermediate hosts; IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; K99: Fimbrial 99; LPS: Lipopolysaccharide; LTA: Lipoteichoic acid; MAPK: Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase; NE: Norepinephrine; NK: Natural killer cells; PAMP: Pathogen Associated Molecular Pattern; PRR: Pattern Recognition Receptor; QseB/QseC: sensor histidine kinase/a response regulator; S layers: Slime layers; SAM: Sympathetic-adrenal-medullary; Th0: T helper0; Th1: T helper 1; Th2: T-helper 2; THI: Temperature-Humidity Index; TLR: Toll Like receptor; TNF-α: Tumour Necrosis Factor –α; TNF-β: Tumour Necrosis Factor-β

KEYWORDS:

• Animals
• stress
• endocrinology
• hormones
• immunity
• disease
• microbes

Acknowledgments

The authors highly acknowledge the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for providing necessary facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.