The respiratory burst activity of bottlenose dolphin neutrophils elicited by several stimulants.

To investigate the early host defense function in aquatic animals, the respiratory burst activity of bottlenose dolphin neutrophils against soluble and particulate stimulants was measured by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assays and compared with those of bovine and human. Dolphin neutrophils generated the respiratory burst in response to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), concanavalinA (ConA), heated-plasma (HP), and homologous-plasma opsonized zymosan except N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). However, the respiratory burst of dolphin neutrophils stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and Staphylococcus aureus was inferior to those of bovine and human. Furthermore, DP-OZ also induced the respiratory burst of bovine and human neutrophils. In conclusion, dolphin neutrophils responded to several soluble and particulate stimulants as well as human neutrophils, but were refractory or slightly responded to bacterial agents.