THe Analysis of CD4/CD8 Ratios in High and Low Hierarchy Sows
COSKUN, Busra
DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/2022IYRC07
Category: STEM
Abstract - The CD4 helper T cell to CD8 cytotoxic T cell ratio in circulating blood supplies information about the immune health of an individual human. A higher ratio is generally associated with better immune health, while a lower ratio may indicate poor immune health and can act as a predictor for mortality in the general population. A low ratio is also an indirect consequence of factors such as aging, premature immunosenescence, persistent viral infections, acute myocardial infarction, physical stress, and psychosocial stress. The goal of this study is to use the CD4/CD8 ratio in a sow population in order to determine if the social standing of these pigs impacts their immune health. To that end, we gathered data from thirteen sows by running their blood through a flow cytometer. We concluded based on the statistical analysis of our results using the collected data that the social rank and CD4 to CD8 ratio of pigs is correlated.