Department of Biology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530, USA.
Med Sci Monit. 2010 Nov;16(11):BR339-46.
Gastropods are significant vectors of human infectious diseases and are exposed to a wide range of soil parasites and micro-organisms. To defend against infection, we hypothesized that the slug produces both soluble and cellular defense mechanisms.
MATERIAL/METHODS: In the gastropod Lehmannia nyctelia, soluble antimicrobial activity was measured by disk diffusion assay and phagocytosis was measured by in vitro and in vivo uptake of fluorescent Escherichia coli bioparticles.
In disk diffusion assays we failed to observe either methanol or dimethylsulfoxide soluble material in the slug secretions and tissues. However, isolation of the slug skin cells demonstrated phagocytic morphology in vitro when exposed to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and internalization of fluorescent Escherichia coli bioparticles. Further, examination of histological sections of a slug exposed to fluorescent Escherichia coli bioparticles revealed a subset of skin cells which had cytoplasmic accumulations of the bioparticles.
These data suggest that the Lehmannia nyctelia skin contains active phagocytic cells that may affect the set of parasites and microbes for which slugs can serve as vectors of disease.
腹足类是人类传染病的重要载体，它们暴露于广泛的土壤寄生虫和微生物中。为了抵御感染，我们假设蛞蝓产生了可溶性和细胞防御机制。
材料/方法：在腹足动物 Lehmannia nyctelia 中，通过圆盘扩散测定法测量可溶性抗菌活性，通过体外和体内摄取荧光大肠杆菌生物颗粒测量吞噬作用。
在圆盘扩散测定中，我们未能观察到蛞蝓分泌物和组织中的甲醇或二甲基亚砜可溶性物质。然而，蛞蝓皮肤细胞的分离显示，当暴露于大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌时，在体外具有吞噬形态，并内化了荧光大肠杆菌生物颗粒。此外，对暴露于荧光大肠杆菌生物颗粒的蛞蝓的组织切片检查显示，皮肤细胞的一部分细胞具有生物颗粒的细胞质积累。
这些数据表明，Lehmannia nyctelia 皮肤含有活跃的吞噬细胞，这可能会影响蛞蝓作为疾病载体的寄生虫和微生物种类。
