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Aging increases resistance to bacterial infection in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (1100.4)
Author(s) -
Booth Kimberly,
Cambron Lizzette,
Fisher Nathan,
Greenlee Kendra
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.1100.4
Subject(s) - manduca sexta , biology , hemolymph , immune system , immunity , manduca , microbiology and biotechnology , larva , zoology , immunology , botany
Manduca sexta larvae (tobacco hornworm) early in their fifth and final larval stage have been reported to have more robust immune responses to Photorabdus luminscens compared to animals later in that stage. We hypothesized that the robust immune response in early stage caterpillars would result in varying hemolymph bacterial loads and survival to other bacterial infections. Early stage M. sexta injected with non‐pathogenic E. coli had 25‐fold higher bacterial loads in hemolymph than those injected later. In addition, early stage M. sexta injected with pathogenic Stenotrophomonas maltohphilia died twice as fast as those injected later. These data demonstrate an ineffective immune response in early stage caterpillars. We also hypothesized that the robust immune response in early stage caterpillars would affect other aspects of physiology, such as development and growth. Early stage M. sexta injected with E. coli or S. maltophilia exhibited developmental and growth rates twice as slow as those injected later. Sickness‐induced anorexia occurs in many taxa and may be the cause of the growth rate and developmental delays in infected caterpillars. While it is clear that development affects immunity, it is unclear why the age‐immunity relationship varies with different bacteria. Because of the importance of insects as pests and pollinators, understanding how immunity varies throughout development is critical.