Antibody production in Japanese eels, Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel

Abstract

Adult Japanese eels, Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, (200–250 g, 45–55 cm) were immunized by intramuscular injection with goat IgG. After 5 weeks, eel immunoglobulin (Ig) was purified using affinity chromatography. The purified eel Ig was used to immunize rabbits to produce anti‐eel Ig antibody. The highest antibody ELISA value in eels was reached 3 weeks after initial immunization with goat IgG, and then gradually decreased. The antibody could still be detected at 140 days post‐immunization. The optimal temperature for antibody production was 30°C. Freund’s complete adjuvant and secondary immunization both increased antibody production in eels.

Effect of water temperature on the immune response and infectivity pattern of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in freshwater crayfish

“…They proposed that the occurrence of viral infection in fishes depends on the immune response at different water temperatures [17]. Hung et al [32] reported that antibody production of the Japanese eel was highest at 25 (C and decreased at lower temperatures. Therefore, damage to the defence system causes outbreaks of the rhabdoviral dermatitis in cold water.…”

The eel immune system: present knowledge and the need for research

“…(1996) observed high levels of specific antibodies in serum from Japanese eels naturally infected with Pleistophora anguillarum , while the amount of specific mucosal antibodies was rather low. In further work, Hung, Lo, Tseng & Kou (1997a) studied the systemic antibody production in Japanese eel after intramuscular injection of goat IgG plus Freund's complete adjuvant. In this study, the authors observed that the antibody production peaked 3 weeks after injection.…”

Thermal Sensitivity of Immune Function: Evidence against a Generalist-Specialist Trade-Off among Endothermic and Ectothermic Vertebrates

“…Immune performance is a physiological trait that is vital to fitness (Graham et al 2011); is sensitive to temperature in taxa including arthropods (Adamo and Lovett 2011), fish (Hung et al 1997;Nikoskelainen et al 2002;Jokinen et al 2010), reptiles (Mondal and Rai 2001;Merchant et al 2003Merchant et al , 2005, and mammals (Nikoskelainen et al 2002); and contains elements that can be measured in vitro. Yet thermal performance of immune function has been relatively understudied (Angilletta 2009), and to our knowledge, detailed comparative examinations of TPCs of immune function are nonexistent.…”