title: Lymphoid apoptosis in Edwardsiella tarda septicemia in tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.
abstract: The present study revealed a relationship between the kinetic change of apoptosis and the inflammatory response during experimental intraperitoneal infection with Edwardsiella tarda as a septicemic model. The morphological changes of apoptotic cells including cellular shrinkage, condensed nuclear chromatin, nuclear fragmentation and membrane blebbing were detected by light and transmission electron microscopy. TUNEL and agarose gel electrophoresis confirmed the fragmentation of DNA in the apoptotic cells. Apoptosis was highly detected in lymphoid organs prior to the inflammatory process and gradually decreased after an extensive inflammatory response. Apoptosis in thymus and spleen was extensive and an in vitro study revealed that lymphocytes were the major cell population which underwent apoptosis. The result suggests that E. tarda-induced systemic immunosuppression via lymphocyte apoptosis as determined by suppression of the systemic inflammatory response during an initial step of generalized septicemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
authors.forename: Nopadon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pirarat
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maita
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katagiri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D023681:Cichlids / Q000276:immunology*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D020609:Edwardsiella tarda / Q000276:immunology; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013997:Time Factors