Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol. 2017 Jun;327(5):322-332. doi: 10.1002/jez.2108. Epub 2017 Sep 11.
The phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin test is commonly used by ecologists to assess cell-mediated immune function of wild animals. It can be performed quickly and easily in the field, involving injection of PHA and measurement of the resultant swelling. There are multiple formulations of PHA used in ecological studies, with potentially differing outcomes that could produce inconsistent results. We tested two common types of PHA in the green anole (Anolis carolinensis) to identify local and systemic immune responses underlying the resultant swelling at 6, 18, 24, and 48 hr post injection. There were differences in both local (injection site) and systemic (blood) leukocyte responses to PHA-L versus PHA-P. PHA-P injection produced a greater overall increase in local heterophil count at the injection site compared with PHA-L, and this response was greatest at 6 and 24 hr post injection. Systemically, heterophil percentage was higher in the blood of PHA-P- versus PHA-L-injected anoles at 24 hr post injection; the time point at which heterophil percentage peaked in PHA-P-injected anoles. These results indicate that although both PHA types are effective tests of immune function in green anoles, the PHA-P swelling response invokes a much stronger heterophilic response. PHA-L is a more specific test of lymphocyte function, particularly at 24 hr post injection, making it preferable for ecoimmunology studies.
植物血球凝集素 (PHA) 皮肤测试常用于生态学家评估野生动物的细胞介导免疫功能。它可以在野外快速、轻松地进行，包括注射 PHA 和测量由此产生的肿胀。在生态研究中使用了多种 PHA 配方，其潜在的不同结果可能会产生不一致的结果。我们在绿安乐蜥 (Anolis carolinensis) 中测试了两种常见类型的 PHA，以确定导致注射后 6、18、24 和 48 小时肿胀的局部和全身免疫反应。PHA-L 与 PHA-P 在局部（注射部位）和全身（血液）白细胞反应方面存在差异。与 PHA-L 相比，PHA-P 注射在注射部位产生更大的局部嗜中性粒细胞计数总体增加，并且这种反应在注射后 6 和 24 小时最大。在注射后 24 小时，PHA-P 注射的安乐蜥血液中的嗜中性粒细胞百分比高于 PHA-L 注射的安乐蜥；这是 PHA-P 注射的安乐蜥中嗜中性粒细胞百分比达到峰值的时间点。这些结果表明，尽管两种 PHA 类型都是绿安乐蜥免疫功能的有效测试，但 PHA-P 肿胀反应会引起更强的嗜中性粒细胞反应。PHA-L 是淋巴细胞功能的更特异性测试，特别是在注射后 24 小时，因此更适合生态免疫学研究。
