Innate Cellular Defense by Mosquito Hemocytes

Abstract

The mosquito is an ideal laboratory model for the study of innate cellular defense mechanisms among the Metozoa. Although there may be nonspecific protective humoral factors present in the hemolymph of mosquitoes, there is presumably no specific humoral or antibody system as part of their arsenal of internal defense. In addition, both man and mosquitoes are susceptible to infection by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. In both mammals and mosquitoes, the malaria sporozoite must migrate through the circulation to reach a target organ (liver or salivary gland), and is therefore potentially susceptible to the cellular defense mechanisms of both hosts. This fortunate circumstance affords an opportunity to study the response of a purely cellular internal defense mechanism to the same stage of the same parasite which successfully evades the defense mechanisms of both mammals and mosquitoes.