Assuntos
Antifúngicos/uso terapêutico , Coelomomyces/efeitos dos fármacos , Infecções Fúngicas Invasivas/diagnóstico , Pneumopatias Fúngicas/tratamento farmacológico , Voriconazol/uso terapêutico , Biópsia , Brônquios/microbiologia , Brônquios/patologia , Coelomomyces/patogenicidade , Humanos , Infecções Fúngicas Invasivas/tratamento farmacológico , Pneumopatias Fúngicas/diagnóstico , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Tórax/diagnóstico por imagem , Tórax/microbiologia , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Earthworms serve as good indicators of heavy metal contamination due to their innate sensitivity towards soil pollution. However, to date, not many studies have focused on endogeic earthworms, such as the omnipresent Allolobophora chlorotica. The current study was designed to verify whether this earthworm could serve as a novel distinctively susceptible species for environmental contamination studies. We show that the dermal exposure to Cu, Ni, and Cd affected the mortality and morphology of A. chlorotica, and the number and functioning of coelomocytes. These features particularly were pronounced in animals treated with Ni and Cu and interestingly to a lesser extend with Cd. In contrast, Cd induced a strong expression of metallothioneins (MT-2) and heat shock proteins (HSP72). The presence of MT-2 was detected not only in coelomocytes but also in the intestine, blood vessels, and epidermis. In conclusion, Allolobophora chlorotica coelomocytes are adopted to respond differentially to various heavy metals, generating powerful response towards potentially most dangerous exogenous non-essential elements.