Table 1.
Results of linear models testing age and sex effects on each of the 11 immune parameters measured in this study. Global F tests of the significance of the age‐by‐sex interaction, and the age‐group and sex main effects are reported. Interactions between sex and age‐group were tested but were not significant in any case, so main effects of sex and age‐group are reported with the interaction dropped from the model. Estimated differences in the mean among age‐ and sex groups are reported along with standard errors of differences in brackets, expressed as difference from the female lamb group. The R‐squared value refers to the model with age and sex included as main effects only
| Immune marker | Global tests | Post hoc comparisons | r 2 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age x Sex | Age | Sex | Intercept (female lambs) | vs. males | vs. yearlings | vs. adults | vs. geriatrics | ||
| Neutrophil: Lymphocyte | 2.213 | 8.343*** | 1.159 | 0.798 (0.126) | 0.147 (0.137) | 0.140 (0.228) | 0.613 (0.144) | 0.819 (0.217) | .087 |
| Eosinophil | 0.461 | 17.346*** | 1.324 | 2.085 (0.560) | −0.699 (0.608) | 2.392 (1.015) | 4.512 (0.642) | 4.111 (0.968) | .201 |
| CD4+ | 0.854 | 7.424*** | 0.088 | 25.185 (1.464) | −0.489 (1.647) | 6.539 (2.563) | 4.287 (1.671) | 11.510 (2.535) | .097 |
| CD8+ | 0.117 | 7.806*** | 0.217 | 5.617 (0.464) | −0.246 (0.528) | −0.918 (0.811) | 1.593 (0.535) | 2.987 (0.882) | .103 |
| CD4+ Naive | 0.440 | 72.022*** | 10.707** | 47.392 (1.606) | −5.936 (1.814) | −20.426 (2.808) | −25.229 (1.847) | −30.845 (2.988) | .544 |
| CD8+ Naive | 0.525 | 32.524*** | 4.462* | 73.020 (2.296) | −5.480 (2.594) | −10.953 (4.016) | −23.673 (2.641) | −35.205 (4.274) | .373 |
| γδ+ TcR | 0.401 | 112.87*** | 12.42*** | 26.796 (0.856) | −3.353 (0.951) | −7.928 (1.450) | −16.404 (0.970) | −19.180 (1.435) | .655 |
| Treg | 0.742 | 1.221 | 0.004 | 4.0504 (0.588) | −0.042 (0.662) | −1.410 (1.013) | −1.170 (0.672) | −0.532 (1.035) | −.002 |
| Anti‐Tc IgA | 0.763 | 28.970*** | 0.508 | 0.168 (0.031) | −0.024 (0.034) | 0.215 (0.060) | 0.286 (0.035) | 0.404 (0.054) | .248 |
| Anti‐Tc IgE | 2.311 | 44.195*** | 0.178 | 0.041 (0.012) | −0.006 (0.013) | 0.085 (0.024) | 0.127 (0.014) | 0.221 (0022) | .332 |
| Anti‐Tc IgG | 0.664 | 82.609*** | 0.010 | 0.325 (0.032) | −0.003 (0.035) | 0.625 (0.062) | 0.537 (0.036) | 0.452 (0.056) | .480 |