Influence of copper on resistance of Lumbricus terrestris to bacterial challenge

Earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris, were challenged orally and intracoelomically with two bacterial species, Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and mortality rates were observed. Neither were found to be particularly pathogenic at injected doses of up to 108 bacteria per earthworm. The influence of Cu++ (as CuSO4) on the earthworm's response to bacterial challenge was investigated by exposing earthworms to sublethal levels of Cu++ prior to bacterial challenge. Exposure at sublethal concentrations up to 3 m g/cm2 did not have a pronounced influence on host resistance to challenge as measured by earthworm mortality. Cu++ increased the earthworm's ability to agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes, indicating that Cu++ exposure caused coelomocyte death, autolysis and release of agglutinins into the coelom, possibly explaining resistance to bacterial challenge.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2000

Author dc:creator

• Simmons, Carla Stull

Contributors dc:contributor

• Goven, Arthur J.
• Shanley, Mark S.
• Venables, Barney J.

• Earthworms.
• Copper.
• Bacterial diseases.
• Immune response.
• earthworm
• bacterial challenge
• Cu++
• coelomocyte

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Simmons, Carla Stull
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 47442979
untcat: b2304297
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2602/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc2602

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc2602