Spleens from twelve Broiler, twelve Leghorn, and twelve Fayoumi chickens were randomly chosen from a group of 212 birds that were either unchallenged birds or had been given Salmonella Enteritidis. The birds were 5-7 month old and were given 1x10 8 Salmonella dose 3 times by way of mouth. The spleens from these birds were removed 10 days after the infection. The expression levels of the mRNA of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18, MIP1 , INF-y, TGF 1, and Rantes were analyzed by qRT-PCR analysis.

Line, challenge, and line by challenge interaction were all considered fixed effects and were tested. All non-significant effects left out. The Student’s T test was used to determine rankings of each effect. Two line effects along with a line by challenge interaction were observed. There was a line effect associated with INF-γ expression. There was also a line effect observed in RANTES. Fayoumis expressed RANTES significantly lower than Broilers or Leghorns. Lastly, there was a line by challenge interaction observed for IL-6. The difference in the expression levels displayed by the three different lines may indicate the use of very distinct immune mechanisms. This could be used in future breeding strategies to produce a bird that is resistant to Salmonella Enteritidis and other pathogens.