Effect of temperature on healthy and microsporidia-infected continuous cultures of Malacosoma disstria hemocytes

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Abstract
The effects of constant temperatures on healthy and Nosema disstriae infected continuous cultures of M. disstria hemocytes were studied. Healthy cells grew best at 28.degree. C, followed closely by those at 25 and 30.degree. C. They grew very slowly at 20.degree. C. Cell growth was good at 35.degree. C for the first 4 days. If the medium was changed frequently, cells could be kept at this temperature for a longer period without any adverse effect on their viability and growth. There were no significant differences in percentage infection and Nosema per cell in the infected cultures kept at 20, 25, 28, and 30.degree. C. Percentage infection and Nosema per cell were greatly reduced after 1 wk at 35.degree. C, and eventually the microsporidia disappeared from the cultures kept at this temperature for 28 days. These observations support other reports to the effect that entomopathogenic microsporidia are unlikely to grow in warm-blooded vertebrates because of their high body temperature.

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