The Avian Immune System

Hens provide young chicks with maternal antibodies for the sake of protection against all kinds of foreign invaders including bacteria, viruses, fungi and allergens. The antibodies are transferred from the hen’s blood serum to the egg yolk, which provides a supply of antibodies called immunoglobulin Y (IgY) to the developing embryo and the hatched chick.

 What is IgY?

IgY is the scientific term for the antibodies, or immunoglobulins, found in the yolk of a chicken egg. 

 Ig = Immunoglobulin         Y = Yolk

 

How do we get sick?

Viral and bacterial infections are by far the most common cause of illness.  Germs (bacteria and viruses) enter our body through natural entry routes such as the mouth, nose and breaks in the skin.  Each day we eat hundreds of germs, most of which die in the saliva or the acid of the stomach. We also inhale thousands of air-borne germs on a daily basis.  When we cut ourselves, germs make their way into our bodies through the break in our skin.  Our immune system is usually able to detect and eliminate these germs before they make us sick. Occasionally, however germs can make it past the immune system and attach to host cells in the body (such as the lining of the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract) where they multiply and spread directly through the tissue and into the bloodstream.  The germs presence in the bloodstream causes the side effects that make you feel sick.  For example, the strep throat bacteria (Streptococcus) releases a toxin that causes inflammation in your throat and the flu virus (Influenza) causes vomiting and diarrhea.

 

How IgY Prevents Illness? 

IgY specific for bacterial and viral antigens can stop you from getting sick by binding to the germs they were designed to attack and neutralizing them before they can spread into the bloodstream.  The antibody-germ complex is eliminated from the body as waste, thus preventing the infection from developing.