Abstract
To reveal the relationship between the peripheral and pronephric neutrophils, their changes in number and PAS reaction were investigated in eel, Anguilla japonica. The eel were intraperitoneally injected with formalin-killed Escherichia coli or physiological saline. Twelve hours after injection of E. coli, the neutrophils in both pronephron and opisthonephron decreased in number to a minimum while peripheral neutrophils increased to a maximum. In the fish injected with physiological saline, the neutrophils reduced in the kidney, but the peripheral neutrophils did not show any significant change in number.
Some changes in PAS reaction were observed in neutrophils of fish which had been injected with E. coli. PAS positive fine or coarse granules appeared in the cytoplasm of both kidney and peripheral neutrophils 12 hours after injection and became more conspicuous after 24 hours. In the fish injected with physiological saline, such neutrophils were not found for 24 hours but there appeared a few neutrophils possessing PAS positive granules after 48 or 72 hours.
In conclusion, neutrophils in the blood were supposed to be supplied from the kidney in response to the bacterial stimulus.
