Hydrocortisone suppresses the chemiluminescent response of striped bass phagocytes

Phagocytic cells obtained from the pronephros of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were exposed in vitro to various levels of hydrocortisone acetate. This treatment reduced the normal ability of the cells to generate a chemiluminescent response when exposed to bacteria or phorbol myristate acetate. Although the levels of hydrocortisone were higher than is physiological for fish, suppression was dose dependent and was not attributable to a reduction in cell viability. Whereas phagocytic chemiluminescence has been linked to the respiratory burst and bactericidal activity, the possibility exists that stress-induced elevations in serum corticosteroids lead to increased susceptibility to infection.