6533b7dcfe1ef96bd12734fa
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Cellular encapsulation in the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera), against infection by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae
Thomas ChouvencNan-yao SuAlain Robertsubject
0106 biological sciencesMetarhiziumHemocytesMetarhizium anisopliaeIsoptera01 natural sciencesConidiumMicrobiology03 medical and health sciencesReticulitermesHemolymphHemolymphBotanyAnimalsEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematics030304 developmental biology0303 health sciencesbiologyfungibiology.organism_classificationImmunity InnateBlood Cell CountTermite Metarhizium Disease resistance Cellular encapsulation Hemocytes010602 entomologyEastern subterranean termiteEntomopathogenic fungusMetarhizium[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and EcologyRhinotermitidaedescription
Reticulitermes flavipes workers were topically inoculated with approximately 10,000 conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. After being kept in groups of 20 individuals for 1-9 d, histopathological examination showed that termites had an individual immune reaction. The nodule formation at the point of entrance of the fungal hyphae was identified as a cellular encapsulation and the different steps in the nodule formation are described. The relative number of hemocytes per termite increased 24h after fungal exposure and remained high in the hemolymph for at least 3 d before decreasing back to pre-exposure levels. The role of an individual immune cellular reaction in social insects is discussed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-01-01 |