Beldomenico Pablo M, Telfer Sandra, Gebert Stephanie, Lukomski Lukasz, Bennett Malcolm, Begon Michael
School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
Ecohealth. 2008 Sep;5(3):317-27. doi: 10.1007/s10393-008-0186-9. Epub 2008 Aug 13.
The occurrence of azurocytes (AZ), a type of leukocyte unique to voles and previously described for three Microtus species, is now reported in Microtus agrestis. The goal of this study was to shed new light on the possible function and significance of these cells and on how they play a role in the natural history of rodent species. Individuals from three vole populations were sampled monthly for 2 years. A hemogram was produced for each individual, and AZ counts estimated. The counts of AZ were much higher in pregnant females, and these levels were higher the higher the past vole density. Males had low prevalences and counts, both for breeding and nonbreeding individuals, but they showed a seasonality that varied with age, body condition, and current and past vole density. Also, the occurrence of AZ in males was more likely after they had had low levels of indicators of condition, suggesting that azurocytes may result from a response to infection. Hence, overall our results suggest that, in females, these cells may be important for reproduction and may have a role in inducing abortion when conditions are not favorable, while in males they might be a response to infection.
天蓝色细胞（AZ）是田鼠特有的一种白细胞，此前已在三种田鼠属物种中有所描述，现在在草甸田鼠中也有报道。本研究的目的是进一步了解这些细胞可能的功能和意义，以及它们在啮齿动物物种自然史中的作用方式。对三个田鼠种群的个体进行了为期2年的每月采样。为每个个体制作了一份血常规，并估算了天蓝色细胞计数。怀孕雌性的天蓝色细胞计数要高得多，过去田鼠密度越高，这些水平就越高。雄性无论是繁殖个体还是非繁殖个体，其患病率和细胞计数都较低，但它们表现出随年龄、身体状况以及当前和过去田鼠密度而变化的季节性。此外，雄性在身体状况指标较低后，出现天蓝色细胞的可能性更大，这表明天蓝色细胞可能是对感染的一种反应。因此，总体而言，我们的结果表明，在雌性中，这些细胞可能对繁殖很重要，并且在条件不利时可能在诱导流产方面发挥作用，而在雄性中它们可能是对感染的一种反应。
