ABSTRACT
The adherence of zoospores of Lagenidium giganteum to the cuticle of mosquito larvae is the initial step in the infection process. Subsequently, a germ tube penetrates the integument, inducing a rapid melanization of the injured cuticle and epidermis. After entering the hemocoel the developing hyphae are occasionally encapsulated locally. This process is slow (6 to 12 h postincubation) and most frequently cell-free, although it can be mediated by circulating hemocytes. Sporadic hemocyte mediation of the humoral encapsulation process in larval stages of Culicidae adds a previously unreported dimension to this unusual type of defense reaction. The defense reactions of larvae of Aedes aegypti were ineffective against observed infection by Lagenidium giganteum.
