Trichobilharzia ocellata in Lymnaea stagnalis: a flow cytometric approach to study its effects on hemocytes

Abstract Flow cytometric analysis was performed on hemocytes in suspension derived from individual Lymnaea stagnalis . The distribution of cell sizes within the hemocyte population was comparable in all 40 specimens studied. The size distribution of circulating hemocytes is unimodal and continuous, with no discrete subpopulations, and is not affected by age or by infection with Trichobilharzia ocellata . Flow cytometry proved to be a very useful technique in analysis of hemocyte populations in snails and anti-hemocyte monoclonal antibodies can be employed in these studies. The use of individual instead of pooled hemolymph samples in studying hemocyte populations of molluscs is stressed.