Comparative Immunohematological Profile of Pelophylax ridibundus and P. lessonae (Amphibia: Ranidae) Infected with Hemoparasites

The direction of adaptive reactions of healthy and Hepatozoon spp.-infected green frogs from water bodies of Nizhny Novgorod oblast with various hydrochemical conditions was studied. During the observation period, infection of pool frogs and an increase in the total population indicators of infection of male and female marsh frogs with Hepatozoon spp. were revealed. Hypertrophy of the morphometric parameters of infected blood erythrocytes compared with healthy cells was revealed in marsh frogs. The content of neutrophil granulocytes in the blood of infected marsh frogs was higher compared to healthy individuals, while the level of immune complexes did not differ. In infected pool frogs, an increase in the level of large immune complexes in the blood serum and the enlargement index was revealed compared to healthy ones against the background of a general decrease in the body’s resistance in conditions of severe pollution of their habitat with heavy metals and sulfates. For marsh frogs, a correlation was established between the proportion of infected erythrocytes and the content of myelocytes and young forms of neutrophils in the blood; while for pool frogs, there was a correlation with the content of neutrophils and the enlargement index of immune complexes. The method of multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant influence of factors such as sex and the interaction of sex/infection with hemoparasites on the immune status of amphibians.