Ultrastructure of Leukocytes in Acutely Inflamed Dermis and Muscle of Channel Catfish at Different Temperatures

Abstract

Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were acclimated for 35 d at 21°C, 15°C, and 9°C. Fish were injected 3 mm beneath the skin surface with 15 μL of turpentine, and inflamed skin and muscle samples were excised after 48 and 72 h for ultrastructural examination. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages were present in the inflamed tissues at all times and temperatures; eosinophils and basophils were not found. Neutrophils were identified by their oval-to-elongate granules with a striated or crystalline core, heavy deposits of glycogen, longitudinal cristae of the mitochondria, and eccentrically located nuclei. Macrophages were distinguished by their numerous pseudopodia, vacuoles, lysosomes, and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Lymphocytes were distinguished by their chromatin-dense nucleus, numerous free ribosomes, and small volume of cytoplasm. Neutrophils were the most common inflammatory cell present, and there were no apparent differences in relative abundance within the inflammatory foci of fish acclimated to the three temperatures. Compared with neutrophils in peripheral blood, neutrophils in inflamed tissues had comparatively rare, swollen mitochondria, and cytoplasmic tubules were not observed. A few neutrophils had vacuoles, phagosomes, or pseudopodia. Lymphocytes in inflamed foci did not contain a Golgi apparatus, granules, vacuoles, or vesicles and had less cytoplasm than did lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Macrophages were the rarest type of inflammatory cell within inflamed areas and differed from peripheral blood monocytes in that macrophages contained numerous lysosomes and vacuoles. No structural differences were associated with particular temperatures for any type of leukocyte.