title: Comparative analysis of hemocyte phagocytosis between six species of arthropods as measured by flow cytometry.
abstract: Phagocytosis of pathogens by hemocytes is a rapid-acting immune response and represents a primary means of limiting microbial infection in some species of arthropods. To survey the relative capacity of hemocyte phagocytosis as a function of the arthropod immune response, we examined the extent of phagocytosis among a wide taxonomic range of arthropod species including a decapod crustacean (Litopenaeus vannamei), three ixodid tick species (Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis), a mosquito species (Aedes aegypti), and a larval moth (Manduca sexta). Injected fluorescent beads were used as a model to elicit phagocytosis and were measured by flow cytometry, a technique provided in detail that may be adapted for use with any species of arthropod. The data indicated that smaller arthropods generally had a higher proportion of phagocytic cells than larger arthropods.
authors.affiliation: Iowa State University, Dept. of Entomology, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dusty Loy
authors.forename: Grishma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.forename: Lyric
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bartholomay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000502:physiology*; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000276:immunology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology*