Interferon induction in turkeys by oral administration of the imidazoquinolinamine S-28828 and modulation of the pathogenesis of Escherichia coli

A synthetic imidazoquinolinamine, S-28828, has been shown to be an effective antiviral and antitumor agent in mammals. This immune modifier induces a number of cytokines such as interferons, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukins and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factors in mammals. We showed that when turkeys were given S-28828 orally, high serum titers of IFN were induced in a dose-dependent manner. Turkeys, once stimulated by S-28828, became refractory to IFN production by repeated stimulation. S-28828 induced spleen, bone marrow and peripheral leukocytes to produce IFN in vitro. Splenic adherent cells were the main producers of IFN after in vitro stimulation. S-28828-induced IFN was identified as type I IFN that was pH-resistant but heat-labile. We examined the effect of a high dose (100 mg kg−1 body weight) of S-28828 on the pathogenesis of E. coli in turkeys. Treatment with S-28828 increased mortality in infected birds and impaired E. coli clearance from the liver. The enhancement of the pathogenicity of E. coli by S-28828 may have been due to the massive release of cytokines inducing a shock-like syndrome in infected turkeys.