title: Previous encapsulation response enhances within individual protection against fungal parasite in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor.
abstract: Immune defenses of insects show either broad reactions or specificity and durability of induced protection against attacking parasites and pathogens. In this study, we tested whether encapsulation response against nylon monofilament increases between two attempts of activation of immune system in mealworm beetles Tenebrio molitor, and whether previous exposure to nylon monofilament may also increase protection against an entomopathogenic fungus. We found that survival of beetles subjected to immune activation by nylon implant and subsequent fungal exposure a week later was significantly higher than survival of beetles which had been subjected to fungal infection only. This result suggests that previous immune activation by the nylon implant may be considered as broad spectrum "immune priming" which helps to fight not only the same intruder but also other parasites.
authors: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Institute of Systematic Biology, University of Daugavpils, Daugavpils.
authors: Indrikis
authors: I
authors: Krams
authors: Janina
authors: J
authors: Daukste
authors: Inese
authors: I
authors: Kivleniece
authors: Tatjana
authors: T
authors: Krama
authors: Markus J
authors: MJ
authors: Rantala
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052982:Beauveria; D005549:Foreign-Body Reaction; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D013712:Tenebrio / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology
keywords: Tenebrio molitor; antifungal protection; ecological immunology; encapsulation response; immune priming; invertebrate immunity