The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the scuticocidal activity of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) head-kidney leucocytes can be enhanced by stimulation with polyinosine-polycytosine [poly (I:C)]. The growth of Miamiensis a...
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the scuticocidal activity of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) head-kidney leucocytes can be enhanced by stimulation with polyinosine-polycytosine [poly (I:C)]. The growth of Miamiensis avidus was not affected by exposure to unstimulated or poly (I:C)-stimulated leucocytes alone, heat-inactivated immune serum alone, or unstimulated leucocytes plus heat-inactivated immune serum. However, leucocytes stimulated with poly (I:C) showed clearly high scuticocidal activity against M. avidus in the presence of heat-inactivated immune serum. Furthermore, numerous poly (I:C)-stimulated leucocytes occupied the surface of scuticociliates in the presence of the heat-inactivated immune serum, which led to lysis of scuticociliates. These results suggest that both of the stimulation of leukocytes and the immobilization of scuticociliates are necessary to kill scuticociliates by leukocytes.