Studies on innate immune response of Duttaphrynus himalayanus (Gunther) to combat microbial infection

Abstract

Duttaphrynus himalaynaus is a unique high altitude amphibian species, adapted to cold climatic conditions of the hills of Darjeeling in West Bengal and Sikkim in India. How these poikilotherms respond to bacterial (Aeromonus caviae) infection was studied in the present investigation. D. himalayanus has all the immunecompetent cell types to trigger humoral or cell mediated immune response to bacterial infection, but interestingly, they prefer to combat through their innate immune mechanism to eradicate the bacteria. Apparently it appears that the innate immune system in amphibians plays a proactive role in combating microbes at least during the initial phase of infection.