Immune function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy pregnant bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Considerable efforts have been made to better understand the immune system of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in view of the common environmental challenges they encounter, such as exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, oil spills or harmful algal bloom biotoxins. However, little is known about how the immune system/function changes during pregnancy. Blood samples from managed care dolphins were collected as a control to measure peripheral blood mononuclear cells to assess number of regulatory T cells (n), proportion of regulatory T cells (%), CD154/CD69 expression levels (fluorescence intensity and cell counts), and cytokine levels (fluorescence intensity or real-time PCR transcript counts).