Premium
Blood and Spleen Response to Isolation and Cold Stress in Little Brown Bats, Myotis lucifugus
Author(s) -
Martin Kathryn H.,
Stehn Robert A.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
acta zoologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1463-6395
pISSN - 0001-7272
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6395.1977.tb00236.x
Subject(s) - myotis lucifugus , biology , red pulp , spleen , white pulp , red cell , histology , red blood cell , andrology , reticulocyte , anatomy , zoology , immunology , medicine , biochemistry , genetics , messenger rna , gene
Female bats were housed singly or in groups and maintained at 5° or 23 °C. Red blood cell life spans were determined utilizing the disappearance of labeled sodium chromate (Cr 51 ). Red cell counts, hematocrits, reticulocyte percentages and diameters, white cell differentials, and spleen histology were determined for bats subjected to three weeks of stress treatment. Isolated animals (warm and cold) had significantly lower hematocrits and red cell counts and significantly higher reticulocyte diameters and percentages than grouped bats. Random destruction of erythrocytes was initially higher in isolated bats. In cold and isolated animals the white pulp of the spleen was most reduced in quantity and in proliferative activity. Red pulp became highly engorged with erythrocytes and showed a hypertrophy of reticuloendothelial elements. Higher rates of random destruction are closely correlated with increased splenic erythrophagocytosis. Gold or isolation imposed separately are mild stress factors in little brown bats, while a severe stress response occurs when the two stressors are imposed simultaneously.