Mitotic Response of Roach Hemocytes to Certain Pathogenes in the Hemolymph

During a series of determinations of percentages of mitotically dividing cells in hemolypmh of normal (6) and molting (7) specimens of the roach, Blatta orientalis, a number of individuals with high bacterial populations in the hemocoelic fluid were encountered. These insects were isolated and samples of their hemolymph were more closely examined. Mitotically dividing cell (M. D. C.) counts were found to be consistently higher than in the normal uninfected roaches. This paper is a report of these findings, accompanied by results from some attempts to inoculate normal roaches with these pathogenic bacteria.