EN
The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of β-1,3/1,6-D-glucan applied in feed on non-specific cellular immunity in lambs. The study examined twenty six 21-28 day old lambs in two groups: I - control and II - experimental (7 rams and 6 ewes in each group). The animals were kept under identical zoohygienic and nutritional conditions. Lambs from group I were fed a basal control diet and lambs from group II were fed a diet containing β-1,3/1,6-D-glucan, at doses of 80 mg/kg/day. Blood was taken from the control and experimental groups before the lambs were fed a diet containing β-1,3/1,6-D-glucan, and 15, 30 and 60 days after administration of the diet. The respiratory burst activity (RBA) and potential killing activity (PKA) of blood phagocytes and proliferative response of blood lymphocytes (MTT) stimulated by mitogens concanavalin A (ConA) and lipopolisaccharide (LPS) were examined. The results indicated that when β-1,3/1,6-D-glucan was applied to food it statistically significantly increased the blood phagocyte and lymphocyte activity in the lambs until the end of experiment, compared to the control group.