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Parasitism of Trichoptera by Bunodera mediovitellata (Digenea:Allocreadiidae) and the encapsulation responses

University of British Columbia

The incidence of parasitism by Bunodera mediovitellata in Trichoptera in Tin Can Creek was investigated. Larvae of Lepidostoma roafi had a low incidence of infection , while Psychoglypha alascensis larvae had a high incidence of infection. The encapsulation reactions of these Trichoptera larvae to internal Epon implants, and metacercariae of the parasite encysted within the silk glands, were examined in vivo to determine the details of the cellular encapsulation reactions of Trichoptera to foreign objects in both of these sites, and to determine which hemocytes are involved in the reaction. The hemocytes of larvae of P. alascensis were capable of encapsulating Epon implants within the hemocoele; the reaction took approximately twenty days longer than those of other insects that have been maintained at 20°C. The hemocytes of larvae of P. alascensis are also capable of encapsulating the metacercariae of their natural parasite B. mediovitellata in the silk glands despite the normal absence of hemocytes from the silk gland lumen. The hemocyte capsules around both the non-living and living objects was typical of the 'ordinary encapsulation reaction' described by Salt (1970). The capsule consisted of an inner layer of flattened cells which were densely packed and an outer layer of cells which were not flattened to the same extent as those of the inner layer. The hemocytes which took part in both capsules around implants and capsules around parasites were flattened elongated hemocytes which probably correspond to plasmatocytes or granulocytes. However, the production of a Summary Fate Map of free circulating hemocytes demonstrated that hemocyte types are stages in the development of a number of lines of hemocyte types. It appears that the hemocytes taking part in the encapsulation reactions belong to two of these lines of hemocyte types.

Text

2010-03-23

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22401

Zoology

University of British Columbia

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