TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP JOHN CARVER INN, PLYMOUTH, MA 30 MARCH - 2 APRIL, 1998 Does Acute Stress Enhance Innate Immunity? Nora Egan Demers1 and Christopher J. Bayne2 1 Florida Gulf Coast University, College of Arts & Sciences, Ft. Myers, FL 33965; 2 Oregon State University, Department of Zoology, Corvallis, OR 97330 In an effort to determine if acute stress enhances innate immunity, it was found that five plasma proteins increased in concentration within ten minutes of an acute handling stress. Of those, three had returned to pre-stress levels within twenty minutes. One of the proteins was identified as complement component C3. The ultimate test of enhanced immunity, however, is survival. The experiment to be discussed at this meeting is the exposure of Oncorhynchus mykiss to Vibrio anguillarum after a brief stress. Several different protocols were used. The difficulties encountered while designing, executing and evaluating the experiments will be discussed.   Return to 23rd Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop Return to Leetown Science Center Home Page