Fever in the leech,Nephelopsis obscura (Annelida) |
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Authors: | Michel Cabanac |
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Institution: | (1) Département de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine Université Laval, G1K 7P4, Québec, Canada |
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Abstract: | Summary Leeches were placed in a 0.8 m linear temperature gradient from 0°C to 40°C. The temperature selected by the leeches was recorded over 30 min intervals; series of animals then received an injection of either pure sterile water,Escherichia coli endotoxin (LPS) at doses of 0.05, 0.25 and 10 g·g–1, alcohol, or prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) at doses of 2 and 4 g·g–1. After a latency of about 90 min, the leeches developed a dose-dependent fever in response to LPS. Maximal preferred temperature was near 29.6±1.4 whereas the control was 20.5±0.6°C. PGE1 also evoked dose-dependent fevers of the same magnitude as LPS (30.0±1.0°C), but without latency. Another series of leeches received an injection of LPS of 10 g·g–1 while in water containing 1.6 mg acetaminophen per 20 l water. Acetaminophen prevented the development of LPS fever. It is concluded that annelids respond to infection with a behavioral fever analogous to that of vertebrates. |
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Keywords: | Thermoregulatory behavior Fever Prostaglandin E1 Bacterial pyrogen Hirudinae |
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