Secondary and Tertiary Responses of the Induced Bactericidin from the West Indian Spiny Lobster,Panulirus argus

Abstract

West Indian spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus, synthesized a hemolymph bactericidin after being injected with killed suspensions of gram-negative bacillus EMB-1 isolated from the normal gut of this lobster. To study differences between the primary response and secondary response, animals were given a primary antigen injection of EMB-1 followed by a second injection of the same antigen 22 to 51 days later. As a rule, secondary bactericidal responses were enhanced over the primary in a manner reminiscent of specific anamnesis in mammalian immunoglobulin synthesis. Immunological memory was also suggested when tertiary responses were compared to secondary and by the persistence of residual titers for many days or weeks without additional antigenic stimulation.

Innate Immunity, Environmental Drivers, and Disease Ecology of Marine and Freshwater Invertebrates

“…There is evidence from a number of Crustacea that is suggestive of immune memory. Secondary bactericidal responses to Gram-negative bacteria are enhanced over primary responses in the spiny lobster (Evans et al 1968(Evans et al , 1969. In addition, there are signs of immune specificity associated with adaptive immunity in higher metazoa: strain-specific immunity is conferred to offspring in the cladoceran Daphnia magna (Little et al 2003) by mothers infected by a bacterial pathogen.…”

Specificity of the Induced Bactericidin of the West Indian Spiny Lobster,Panulirus argus

“…Previous communications (5,6) have described the ability of a marine invertebrate, the West Indian spiny lobster Panulirus argus, to synthesize a hemolymph bactericidin induced by injections of bacteria isolated from its own normal gut flora. Additional studies involving the primary and secondary responses of the lobster to the gramnegative bacillus, EMB-1, revealed that, as a rule, secondary bactericidal titers were enhanced over the primary titers in a manner characteristic of the anamnestic response in mammalian immunoglobulin synthesis (7). Investigations of the serological responses of the marine worm, Sipunculus nudus, by Bang (2) showed this animal to be capable of producing a lysin induced by injections of a parasitic ciliate.…”

Immunological mechanisms of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus

“…In contrast, the spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, also demonstrated an increased humoral immunity 24-48 hours after the injection of bacterial vaccines (Evans et al, 1969). The results of the present study demonstra ted that Limulus conformed to the arthropod pattern of response to foreign materials introduced into the hemocoel.…”