Immune recognition in insects

Impact of Abiotic and Biotic Environmental Conditions on the Development and Infectivity of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Agricultural Soils

Many organisms, including beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), are commonly found in the soil environment. EPNs are used as biopesticides for pest control. They have many positive characteristics and are able to survive at sites of application for a long time, producing new generations of individuals. The occurrence of populations depends on many environmental parameters, such as temperature, moisture, soil texture, and pH. Extreme temperatures result in a decrease in the survival rate and infectivity of EPNs. Both high humidity and acidic soil pH reduce populations and disrupt the biological activity of EPNs. Nematodes are also exposed to anthropogenic agents, such as heavy metals, oil, gasoline, and even essential oils. These limit their ability to move in the soil, thereby reducing their chances of successfully finding a host. Commonly used fertilizers and chemical pesticides are also a challenge. They reduce the pathogenicity of EPNs and negatively affect their reproduction, which reduces the population size. Biotic factors also influence nematode biology. Fungi and competition limit the reproduction and survival of EPNs in the soil. Host availability enables survival and affects infectivity. Knowledge of the influence of environmental factors on the biology of EPNs will allow more effective use of the insecticidal capacity of these organisms.

Phagocytosis of microvilli of the metacestode ofHymenolepis diminutabyTenebrio molitorhaemocytes

A limited number of metacestodes ofHymenolepis diminutafromTenebrio molitorhad host plasmatocytes and cell debris of coagulocyte origin associated with the microvillar surface. There was evidence of phagocytosis of microvilli by plasmatocytes, involving clathrin-like endocytotic vesicles. In contrast to these otherwise ‘normal’ cysticercoids, occasional batches were ‘sticky’ and, on flushing into saline, rapidly developed large bladders possibly associated with osmotic stress. In addition, numerous small surface blebs were present. These ‘surface-stressed’ cysticercoids also had host plasmatocytes and cell debris associated with the bladder bases and the blebs, and phagocytosis of microvilli was observed. In no case had precipitation of haemolymph, melanization or encapsulation (features typical of the insect immune response) occurred. The possibility that the limited host response indicates a spatially restricted impairment of the surface compatibility of the parasite, and thus insufficient to elicit the full immune response, is discussed.

Interaction between non-specific electrostatic forces and humoral factors in haemocyte attachment and encapsulation in the edible cockle, Cerastoderma edule

In invertebrates, encapsulation is the common immune defence reaction towards foreign bodies, including multicellular parasites, which enter the haemocoel and are too large to be phagocytosed. This immune response has been most extensively studied in insects, in which it is highly complex, involving a diversity of cellular and molecular processes, but little is known of this process in bivalve molluscs. Non-specific physicochemical properties are known to influence parasite-haemocyte interactions in many invertebrates, and these may provide the common basis of encapsulation on which highly specific biochemical interactions are imposed. The present study uses synthetic beads and thread to mimic inactive metacercarial cysts of trematodes, and thus investigates factors involved in the basic, non-specific mechanisms of cell attachment and encapsulation in the edible cockle, Cerastoderma edule. Results showed that positively charged targets stimulated the most vigorous response, and further detailed experiments revealed that non-specific electrostatic forces and humoral plasma factors have a synergistic role in haemocyte attachment and the encapsulation response of C. edule.

Successful parasitation of locusts by entomopathogenic nematodes is correlated with inhibition of insect phagocytes

The entomopathogenic nematodes Heterorhabditis megidis and Steinernema feltiae turned out to be successful antagonists of the orthopteran insects Locusta migratoria and Schistocerca gregaria. The death rate of locusts maintained on nematode-inoculated sand was remarkably high. Even dosages as low as one nematode per cubic centimeter of sand killed approximately 50% of the locusts within 10 days. The impact of parasitation on locusts' immune defense was closely investigated for L. migratoria parasitized by H. megidis. Adult locusts died within 30-35 h after being fed with 50 infective H. megidis juveniles. Within the first 30 h after ingestion of the nematodes, locust hemolymph was assayed for alterations in the humoral and cellular defense components and for the presence of the nematode-associated Photorhabdus luminescens bacteria. Humoral defense was generally low without any correlation to the state of parasitation. There was no detectable activity against Escherichia coli and only little lysozyme-like activity against Micrococcus luteus. In contrast, cellular defense components were strongly influenced by parasitation. Most interestingly, the phagocytic capacity of the hemocytes was already hampered 12 h after oral application of the nematodes, whereas considerable hemocyte death occurred not earlier than 24 h after feeding. The nematode-associated bacteria could be detected in hemolymph of some of the nematode-fed locusts as early as 3 h after feeding and in all hemolymph samples after 24 h. Supernatants from isolated P. luminescens cultures were able to inhibit the L. migratoria phagocytes in vitro; thus the successful parasitation appears to be dependent on an inhibition by bacteria-released compounds rather than on overloading or simply killing of the phagocytic active hemocytes.

High-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of hemolymph plasma catecholamines in immune-reactive Aedes aegypti

Tyrosine and catecholamines have been implicated as substrates for the encapsulation reactions involved in the immune response of mosquitoes to microfilariae (mff). Identification and quantitation of tyrosine and catecholamines present in Aedes aegypti hemolymph plasma were accomplished by ion-pair high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection at either +650 or +850 mV vs Ag/AgCl. Tyrosine, dopamine, and N-beta-alanyldopamine were detected in the hemolymph plasma of naive A. aegypti. Although no differences in these compounds were observed in hemolymph plasma from A. aegypti inoculated with Dirofilaria immitis mff, the chromatogram showed a single major peak (PI) (65 microM, expressed as dopamine equivalents) that was not present in naive hemolymph plasma. Saline-inoculated controls contained only 5% of the PI in immune reactive hemolymph plasma. A high concentration of PI (127 +/- 39 microM) was also detected after treatment of hemolymph plasma with mild alkaline conditions (pH 9.0), indicating that it is normally present as an electrochemically inert form in naive mosquitoes. High concentrations of PI were also detected in the naive hemolymph plasma from three other mosquito species, but no PI was found in A. trivittatus under any conditions. PI did not cochromatograph with any of the catecholamines commonly thought to be involved in immune responses of dipterans against metazoan parasites, suggesting that it may be a unique substrate for these reactions. The biological relevance of PI was evidenced by its appearance in the hemolymph plasma of two strains of D. immitis-inoculated A. aegypti.

Role of virus-like particles in parasitoid-host interaction of insects

Insect endoparasitoids are capable of suppressing the immune reaction of their habitual hosts in a specific way. Salt (1968) characterized some of the implications: This seeming contradiction--that defence reactions against all kinds of foreign bodies are available to insects and that endophagous parasitoids are nevertheless able to develop in insect hosts--is resolved by recourse to one of the principles of host specificity. Although insects as a group react to every foreign body in the sense that any organism or substance evokes a reaction in most insects, each species of insect fails to make a reaction (or makes an ineffective reaction) to a small group of organisms, its habitual parasites. It is the common paradox of parasitology that defence reactions are least effective against the most noxious parasites, involving the tautology that the most noxious parasites are those against which defence reactions are least effective. Recently, VLP of hymenopteran wasps have been shown to play a crucial part in suppressing the cellular encapsulation reaction (Stoltz and Vinson, 1979a). In some parasitoid wasps, polydnavirus particles are involved in the phenotypic transformation of hemocytes, reducing the capability of the host to mount an immune reaction towards the parasitoid egg (Stoltz and Guzo, 1986; Davies et al., 1987). However, at least in Venturia, the eggs are effectively protected by VLP that lack significant amounts of nucleic acids, precluding any virus expression in the host. The question was raised whether VLP could have acquired properties of the host immune system, which allows specific suppression of the immune response. The finding of structural similarities between VLP proteins and a host component indicated that a host function is expressed in VLP (Feddersen et al., 1986) and this observation has subsequently permitted the identification and characterization of a protein in caterpillars, which appears to inhibit cellular defense reactions (Berg et al., 1987). On the basis of these results we continue to approach this parasitoid-host interaction, assuming that VLP have evolved in the host organism and eventually acquired the coding sequences of a host protein with properties of an inhibitor of encapsulation. Although there are several ways to explain the emergence of VLP in endophagous parasitoid wasps, a simple proposal would be that such hypothetical viruses, which were able to suppress immune reaction in lepidopteran hosts, were incorporated into a parasitoid wasp to become part of the life cycle of the parasitoid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acquired resistance to Onchocerca lienalis infections in Simulium ornatum Meigen and Simulium lineatum Meigen following passive transfer of haemolymph from previously infected simuliids (Diptera, Simuliidae)

This study describes experiments which demonstrate the presence of a parasite-induced or derived factor in the haemocoel of Onchocerca lienalis-infected simuliids. Haemolymph, when transferred from previously infected donor flies to previously untreated recipient flies, using fine glass needles, confers protection against a subsequent challenge to the recipients. In three trials using Simulium ornatum sl. or S. lineatum, significant levels of protection in 'immunized' compared to 'challenge control' groups were achieved (84% and 81% with S. ornatum sl. and 85% with S. lineatum). This is despite the fact that the worm burdens of the infected donor groups in the three trials were very different (means of 33.1 and 3.4 larvae/fly with S. ornatum sl. and 1.6 larvae/fly with S. lineatum). The use of sham-operated and bentonite-inoculated control groups demonstrate that this effect is not merely a non-specific reaction to trauma, but is probably parasitic in its derivation. The use of double infections separated by 4 days shows that the donor flies have themselves probably acquired resistance to O. lienalis. Frequency distributions of O. lienalis burdens in individual flies show that there is a shift from a normal to a skew distribution when comparing 'challenge control' flies with 'immunized'. This possible acquired resistance could have important implications in the transmission of forest and savanna human onchocerciasis by the Simulium damnosum complex.

Factors affecting the development of Dipylidium caninum in Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché, 1835)

Ctenocephalides felis felis larvae were infected with Dipylidium caninum at a range of temperatures from 20 degrees - 35 degrees C at 3 mm Hg saturation deficit (SD) and 30 degrees C at 8 mm Hg SD. Hosts were subsequently dissected at 6, 9 and 12 days after infection. Four replicate experiments were performed and results of development, and host reactions analysed by the Genstat computer programme. These were found to depend on the temperature and saturation deficit of the environment. Unlike previous findings, parasite development and host reaction were found to be independent of host development. Host reaction was more marked and prolonged at 20 degrees - 25 degrees C than at higher temperatures. No perceptible growth of the parasite occurred at 20 degrees C. The development patterns of growth at the higher temperatures were similar but shifted in time so that faster growth occurred at higher temperatures. Rate of growth was fastest at 35 degrees C, despite the fact that this temperature was unfavourable to the hosts, all of which died at the time of pupation.

Species specificity of immunity to malignant transformed cultured insect cells

The specificity of malignantly transformed cultured cells of the German cockroach was assayed by injecting the cells into eight additional species of cockroaches in three families. All species but the most advanced one were susceptible. The range of lethal times for the different species reflected their relationship to the species from which the cells originated. The abilities of the injected hosts to encapsulate implants of embryo fragments of the German cockroach and microcarrier beads paralleled their resistance against the malignant cells. The order of susceptibility of the cockroach species to a pathogenic amoeba paralleled their susceptibility to the malignant cells, but death from the amoeba occurred in a much shorter time. Hematocrit values were higher in the more resistant species.

Non-immunological recognition and killing of xenogeneic cells by macrophages. III. Destruction of fish cells by murine macrophages

Non-immune non-activated murine peritoneal macrophage killed in vitro fish (Cyprinus carpio) PHA-induced lymphoblasts. Addition of PHA and WGA to effector-target cell cultures did not potentiate the killing. This killing (xenolysis) was expressed by non-elicited and thioglycollate-elicited macrophages as well as by macrophages depleted of lymphocytes. It is suggested that mammalian macrophages have a xenolytic potential towards phylogenetically distant species which is analogous to the capacity of invertebrate phagocytes to destroy xenografts.