Responses of the rodlet cells to Metacercarial infections in Oreochromis Niloticus [electronic resource]

Includes bibliographic reference.

In this report, we describe the responses of Rodlet cells (RCs) of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, with other inflammatory indicators to infections by encysted metacercariae trematodes. RCs are specialized cells of the non-specific immune system of some species of teleosts fish. Sixty eight out of 100 examined fish specimens were found to be naturally infected by the encysted metacercariae in different parts of the body. Digenean metacercariae infection caused significant increase in serum total protein and albumin level concentrations than in uninfected wild caught fish, a possible indication of an infection or inflammatory host response. Significant increase in eosinophils percent revealed parasitic infections. A variable number of RCs were observed in gills and liver tissues of infected fish, with a higher frequency, while couldn’t be found in uninfected tissues. Results propose that RCs represent an inflammatory cell type that is closely linked to other piscine inflammatory cells in respond to the presence of parasites on epithelial surfaces.

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