In vitro study on humoral encapsulation of microfilariae: Establishment of technique and description of reaction
Abstract Recently we showed that the encapsulation of the microfilariae of Brugia pahangi in the haemocoel of the mosquito Anopheles quadrimaculatus combined both humoral and cellular encapsulations. In the present study, the formation of the humoral capsule was reproduced and studied in vitro . A simple technique for this was devised. The in vitro humoral reaction began by the deposition of scattered black granules, which gradually enlarged and coalesced to form a layer of pigmented material around the parasite. The humoral capsules produced in vitro were morphologically and utrastructurally similar to those formed in vivo . Various factors (pH value, dilution of haemolymph, temperature) were shown to affect the degree of encapsulation of the microfilariae in vitro .
Centro de Aquisicao e Processamento de Imagens” (CAPI- ICB/UFMG) for ::: providing the microscopes to immunofluorescence evaluations.