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Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons™
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Pantherophis guttatus; hemoagglutination; hemolysis; specific dynamic action; immune function; tradeoff
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The Effects Of Digestion On Innate Immunity, Rachel L. Luoma
The Effects Of Digestion On Innate Immunity, Rachel L. Luoma
Honors College Theses
Following a meal, an animal can exhibit dramatic shifts in its physiology that can result in rapid growth of the gut and heart, as well as a massive (>40-fold) increase in metabolic rate associated with the energetic costs of processing the meal. However, little is known about the effects of digestion on an important physiological trait: immune function. Thus, I tested the following competing hypotheses. First, digesting animals may upregulate their immune systems due to increased microbial exposure from ingested food. This hypothesis predicts that animals will exhibit greater immune function during digestion. Second, digesting animals may downregulate their …