A new method for isolation of leukocytes from the peripheral blood of amphibians [<i>Bufo</i> <i>himalayanus</i>, (<i>Gunther</i>)] and study of their surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy

Abstract

Using percoll as the density gradient, a new single step method to isolate leukocytes from the peripheral blood of amphibians (<i>B. himalayanus</i>) has been described. Isolated leukocytes were photographed under the scanning electron microscope and an attempt has been made to characterize the leukocyte population on the basis of surface morphology. Apart from regular blood cell types, <i>B. himalayanus</i> have slender, elongated and slightly curved leukocyte type cell s in their peripheral blood. Such slender elongated cells were absent in the blood of a related species <i>B. stomaticus</i> and hence could not be categorized under the known blood cell types.