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Brachiola algerae (Vavra et Undeen, 1970) Lowman, Takvorian et Cali, 2000, originally isolated from a mosquito, has been maintained in rabbit kidney cells at 29 degrees C in our laboratory. This culture system has made it possible to study detailed aspects of its development, including spore activation, polar tube extrusion, and the transfer of the infective sporoplasm. Employing techniques to ultrastructurally process and observe parasite activity in situ without disturbance of the cultures has provided details of the early developmental activities of B. algerae during timed intervals ranging from 5 min to 48 h. Activated and nonactivated spores could be differentiated by morphological changes including the position and arrangement of the polar filament and its internal structure. The majority of spores extruded polar tubes and associated sporoplasms within 5 min post inoculation (p.i.). The multilayered interlaced network (MIN) was present in extracellular sporoplasms and appeared morphologically similar to those observed in germination buffer. Sporoplasms, observed inside host cells were ovoid, contained diplokaryotic nuclei, vesicles reminiscent of the MIN remnants, and their plasmalemma was already electron-dense with the "blister-like" structures, typical of B. algerae. By 15 min p.i., the first indication of parasite cell commitment to division was the presence of chromatin condensation within the diplokaryotic nuclei, cytoplasmic vesicular remnants of the MIN were still present in some parasites, and early signs of appendage formation were present. At 30 min p.i., cell division was observed, appendages became more apparent, and some MIN remnants were still present. By two hours p.i., the appendages became more elaborate and branching, and often connected parasite cells to each other. In addition to multiplication of the organisms, changes in parasite morphology from small oval cells to larger elongated "more typical" parasite cells were observed from 5 h through 36 h p.i. Multiplication of proliferative organisms continued and sporogony was well underway by 48 h p.i., producing sporonts and sporoblasts, but not spores. The observation of early or new infections in cell cultures 12-48 h p.i., suggests that there may also exist a population of spores that do not immediately discharge, but remain viable for some period of time. In addition, phagocytized spores were observed with extruded polar tubes in both the host cytoplasm and the extracellular space, suggesting another means of sporoplasm survival. Finally, extracellular discharged sporoplasms tightly abutted to the host plasmalemma, appeared to be in the process of being incorporated into the host cytoplasm by phagocytosis and/or endocytosis. These observations support the possibility of additional methods of microsporidian entry into host cells and will be discussed.  相似文献   

3.
The Microsporidia have been reported to cause a wide range of clinical diseases particularly in patients that are immunosuppressed. They can infect virtually any organ system and cases of gastrointestinal infection, encephalitis, ocular infection, sinusitis, myositis and disseminated infection are well described in the literature. While benzimidazoles such as albendazole are active against many species of Microsporidia, these drugs do not have significant activity against Enterocytozoon bieneusi. Fumagillin, ovalicin and their analogues have been demonstrated to have antimicrosporidial activity in vitro and in animal models of microsporidiosis. Fumagillin has also been demonstrated to have efficacy in human infections due to E. bieneusi. Fumagillin is an irreversible inhibitor of methionine aminopeptidase type 2 (MetAP2). Homology cloning employing the polymerase chain reaction was used to identify the MetAP2 gene from the human pathogenic microsporidia Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Encephalitozoon hellem, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, Brachiola algerae and E. bieneusi. The full-length MetAP2 coding sequence was obtained for all of the Encephalitozoonidae. Recombinant E. cuniculi MetAP2 was produced in baculovirus and purified using chromatographic techniques. The in vitro activity and effect of the inhibitors bestatin and TNP-470 on this recombinant microsporidian MetAP2 was characterized. An in silico model of E. cuniculi MetAP2 was developed based on crystallographic data on human MetAP2. These reagents provide new tools for the development of in vitro assay systems to screen candidate compounds for use as new therapeutic agents for the treatment of microsporidiosis.  相似文献   

4.
Brachiola algerae, a parasite of Anopheles mosquitoes, has also been isolated from a human cornea, a cutaneous nodule and deep muscle tissue. All three human isolates of B. algerae are morphologically, serologically, and genetically similar to the mosquito-derived isolates including the original isolate of Vavra and Undeen. All of these isolates grew well in mammalian cell cultures at 37 degrees C and produced spores. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that all developmental stages including meronts, sporoblasts and spores were diplokaryotic and developed in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm, a feature characteristic of the genus Brachiola. Spores of all isolates reacted well, in the immunofluorescence assay, with the rabbit anti-B. algerae serum. In the immunoblot assay, although the overall banding patterns of the human and mosquito isolates were similar, minor differences could be discerned. Sequencing of the PCR products of the amplified SSU rRNA gene revealed the existence of two distinct genotypes; the original mosquito (Undeen) isolate belonged to genotype 1 and the isolate from cornea and that from the deep muscle biopsy to genotype 2, whereas the isolates from a mosquito and one of the other two human isolates (one from skin abscess) had both genotypes, 1 and 2. It is known that spores of mosquito-derived B. algerae can not only proliferate in mammalian cell cultures at 37 degrees C but also can infect mice when injected into footpads or deposited on the corneal surface. These observations indicate that the spores have potential to be a risk factor for humans, especially those with immunodeficiency.  相似文献   

5.
Susceptibility of three strains of immunodeficient mice to two related microsporidian species Encephalitozoon cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 and Encephalitozoon intestinalis (Cali, Kotler et Orenstein, 1993) was compared. While both, severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) and interferon-gamma knock-out (IFN-gamma KO) mice, succumbed to either intraperitoneal (i.p.) or peroral (p.o.) (natural) infection with both parasites, only i.p. infection with E. cuniculi killed interleukin-12 knock-out (IL-12 KO) mice. IFN-gamma KO mice died earlier than SCID mice. Adoptive transfer of naive splenocytes from IFN-gamma KO mice did not protect the SCID mice from a lethal infection with either of the Encephalitozoon species. However, reconstituted mice survived significantly longer (P<0.05), thus indicating the role of IFN-gamma produced by host NK cells in the development of mechanisms of anti-microsporidial protective immunity. Non-lethal outcome of the infection always correlated with the increase in CD8+ T lymphocyte subpopulation. Both E. intestinalis-infected IFN-gamma KO and IL-12 KO mice produced comparable levels of specific antibodies, suggesting that antibodies did not protect IFN-gamma KO mice from lethal infection.  相似文献   

6.
The genome sequence of the microsporidian parasite Encephalitozoon cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 contains about 2,000 genes that are representative of a non-redundant potential proteome composed of 1,909 protein chains. The purpose of this review is to relate some advances in the characterisation of this proteome through bioinformatics and experimental approaches. The reduced diversity of the set of E. cuniculi proteins is perceptible in all the compilations of predicted domains, orthologs, families and superfamilies, available in several public databases. The phyletic patterns of orthologs for seven eukaryotic organisms support an extensive gene loss in the fungal clade, with additional deletions in E. cuniculi. Most microsporidial orthologs are the smallest ones among eukaryotes, justifying an interest in the use of these compacted proteins to better discriminate between essential and non-essential regions. The three components of the E. cuniculi mRNA capping apparatus have been especially well characterized and the three-dimensional structure of the cap methyltransferase has been elucidated following the crystallisation of the microsporidial enzyme Ecm1. So far, our mass spectrometry-based analyses of the E. cuniculi spore proteome has led to the identification of about 170 proteins, one-quarter of these having no clearly predicted function. Immunocytochemical studies are in progress to determine the subcellular localisation of microsporidia-specific proteins. Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and glycosylation are expected to be soon explored.  相似文献   

7.
Microsporidia in mosquitoes can be divided into two categories based on their life cycles and host-parasite relationships. Some species of microsporidia exhibit simple life cycles with one spore type responsible for oral (horizontal) transmission. They affect only one generation of the mosquito and are not usually host or tissue specific. Brachiola algerae and Vavraia culicis are examples of species isolated from mosquitoes with relatively straightforward life cycles (one spore type) and simple host-parasite relationships. B. algerae and a close relative of V. culicis have also been isolated from a vertebrate (human) host but sources for these infections are unknown. In contrast to B. algerae and V. culicis, polymorphic (heterosporous) microsporidia in mosquitoes are characterized by complex life cycles involving multiple spore types responsible for horizontal and vertical transmission. They affect two generations of the mosquito and some involve an obligate intermediate host. These microsporidia are generally very host and tissue specific with complex developmental sequences comprised of unique stages and events. The microsporidium Edhazardia aedis is a pathogen of Aedes aegypti and does not require an intermediate host. The developmental cycle of E. aedis is characterized by four sporulation sequences, two in the parental host and two in the filial generation. Recent speculation relative to the source of B. algerae human infection have implicated infected mosquitoes and raised concerns about the safety of mosquito microsporidia in general. The subject of this review is to compare and contrast three species of microsporidia from mosquitoes, two with broad host ranges (B. algerae and V. culicis) and one specific to mosquitoes (E. aedis). This review describes features that distinguish mosquito-parasitic microsporidia with simple life cycles and broad host ranges from truly mosquito-specific microsporidian parasites with complex life cycles.  相似文献   

8.
In the years 1985-1988, a total of 254 specimens of the roach, Rutilus rutilus, captured in 23 localities of South Bohemia, were examined for the presence of protozoan parasites. Only 17 specimens (6.7%) were free of infection, whereas the others were infected at least with one parasite species, mixed infections were observed most frequently. The following species were found rarely: Myxidium rhodei Léger, 1905 in the liver and muscles. Pleistophora mirandellae Vaney et Conte, 1901 in ovaries, Trichodina nemachili Lom, 1960 on the skin, Trichodina prowazeki Grupcheva et Lom, 1980 on the skin (the first finding in Czechoslovakia). The data concerning localization of individual parasites and their prevalence are presented and five protozoan species described in detail.  相似文献   

9.
The production of three cytokines, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 12 (IL-12), was measured after intraperitoneal infection of immunocompetent Balb/c mice and immunodeficient SCID mice with the microsporidian, Encephalitozoon cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923. High levels of IFN-gamma were detected in ex vivo cultures of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) of Balb/c mice, a lower, but earlier IFN-gamma response was observed in PEC from SCID mice. The early IL-10 response was detected in ex vivo cultures of splenocytes from Balb/c but not from SCID mice, explaining a delay in the IFN-gamma response in Balb/c mice. IL-12 was detected in PEC cultures from SCID mice, indicating an alternative pathway of IFN-gamma production by NK cells stimulated by IL-12 derived from macrophages.  相似文献   

10.
Loma salmonae is a common gill parasite of salmonids, and essentially all species in the genus Oncorhynchus are susceptible. Infections occur in both fresh and salt water. Loma salmonae is directly transmissible by ingestion of spores or infected tissue. The parasite infects the wall of blood vessels of various organs, but the gill is the primary site of infection. Initial infection occurs in the intestine, and xenomas are easily detected in the gills by standard histology at 4-6 wk post-exposure. A few presporogonic stages of the parasite are found in the heart endothelium prior to xenoma formation in the gills. Ultrastructure studies of early infections demonstrated that wandering blood cells transport the meronts to the gills, and that merogony occurs in pillar cells and other cells underlying the gill endothelium. Xenomas develop in these cells, resulting in hypertrophied host cells filled with spores. Xenomas ultimately rupture, and are associated with severe inflammation in which free spores are found in macrophages. The parasites are most pathogenic during this phase of the infection, resulting in severe vasculitis and clinical disease. Both rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus ishawytscha) recover from infections, but free spores persist in kidney and spleen phagocytes for many months after xenomas are absent in Chinook salmon. Fish that have recovered from the infection show strong immunity against the parasite, lasting up to 1 year. Fish are susceptible to infection by other routes of exposure by spores; co-habitation, anal gavage, and intramuscular, intraperitoneal and intravascular injection. Autoinfection probably occurs following release of spores in blood vessels after xenomas rupture. The optimal temperature for L. salmonae infections is 15-17 degrees C, with a permissive range of 11-20 degrees C.  相似文献   

11.
Abstract: Two hundred and seventeen captive great apes (150 chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes; 14 bonobos, Pan paniscus; 53 western gorillas, Gorilla gorilla) and 20 personnel from thirteen European zoos and two African sanctuaries were sampled and examined in order to determine the occurrence ofEnterocytozoon bieneusi and species of Encephalitozoon in faecal specimens and to compare the epidemiological situation between zoos and sanctuaries. Microsporidia were detected at all sampling sites. Sequence analyses of ITS amplicons generated by using microsporidia-specific primers determined the presence ofmicrosporidia in 87 samples including 13 humans; since two cases of simultaneous occurrence of Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Enterocytozoon bieneusi were identified, 89 full-length ITS sequences were obtained, namely 78 Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I, five E. cuniculi genotype II, two E. hellem 1A and four Enterocytozoon bieneusi. No Encephalitozoon intestinalis-positive samples were identified. This is the first report of Encephalitozoon species and Enterocytozoon bieneusi genotypes in captive great apes kept under various conditions and the first record of natural infection with E. hellem in great apes. A comparison of zoos and sanctuaries showed a significantly higher prevalence of microsporidia in sanctuaries (P<0.001), raising a question about the factors affecting the occurrence of microsporidia in epidemiologically and sanitarily comparable types of facilities.  相似文献   

12.
During a recent investigation of parasites infecting fishes from the Okavango River and Delta, Botswana (southern Africa) fourteen sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes: Clariidae) were examined for the presence of myxozoan infections. Results revealed the presence of two species of the genus Henneguya Thélohan, 1895 and one species of the genus Myxobolus Bütschli, 1882 infecting this fish host. Two of the sampled fish exhibited large plasmodia of Henneguya suprabranchiae Landsberg, 1987 in the cartilage of the accessory breathing organ, another two individuals were infected with H. samochimensis sp. n. plasmodia in the gills and another three individuals revealed an infection with Myxobolus gariepinus sp. n. plasmodia in the ovaries.  相似文献   

13.
A new microsporidium was observed in the flying fish Cypselurus pinnatibarbatus japonicus (Franz) (Exocoetidae) from Yakushima, Japan. Visual examination revealed the microsporidium to form white elongate nodules in the host's trunk muscle. Monomorphic spores were ovoid to pyriform in shape, with average dimensions of 4.1 x 2.2 microm and possessing a polar tube describing 13-15 coils. Histological observations showed that each parasite focus of infection was encapsulated by a host-produced fibrous membrane. The presence of sporophorous vesicles was not clearly determined. Ribosomal DNA sequence analyses showed the microsporidium to be discrete from other known fish muscle-infecting species and to be most closely related to a clade comprising the Pleistophoridae and Glugea spp. The parasite is provisionally placed as Microsporidium cypselurus sp. n.  相似文献   

14.
The cytology of a new microsporean parasite Microsporidium epithelialis sp. n. from the intestinal epithelial cells of the freshwater oligochaete Tubifex sp. (Tubificidae) is described. The microsporean occurred together with an actinosporean of the genus Triactinomyxon, which was found between the epithelial cells. The merogonic and sporogonic stages (mature spores included) of the microsporean parasite are monokaryotic. An individual sporophorous vesicle surrounds each spore. The fixed and stained spore has an average dimension of 1.9-2.5 x 0.9-1.2 microm. The spores are oval with a characteristic surface layer, showing ornamentation-like projections, which are in close contact to the exospore. A short polar filament forming three to four coils traverses the polaroplast with two lamellar layers. The ultrastructure and other characteristic features of this microsporean parasite are distinct from those of the microsporean species described so far from oligochaetes.  相似文献   

15.
An experimental infection with the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 was studied using a model of immunocompetent BALB/c mice and immunodeficient SCID mice. The course of infection after intraperitoneal inoculation of E. cuniculi spores was evaluated using the presence of spores in peritoneal macrophages as a criterion. First significant decrease in the proportion of infected cells was recorded on day 9 post infection (p.i.) in BALB/c mice. From day 14 p.i. no spores were observed in macrophages from BALB/c mice, while the number of infected macrophages from SCID mice increased until the death of the mice. The natural killer (NK) cell activity of mouse splenocytes was compared with the production of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) by these cells. While in BALB/c mice NK activity peaked on days 9 and 14 p.i., in SCID mice the marked increase of NK activity was recorded close before death of mice, on day 21 p.i. in correlation with the production of IFN-gamma. Production of specific antibodies was demonstrated from day 9 p.i. in sera from BALB/c mice. It is concluded that intraperitoneal infection of SCID mice with spores of E. cuniculi results in the marked increase in the number of peritoneal exudate cells and in the percentage of infected cells close before death of mice. Neither high activity of NK cells nor increased production of IFN-gamma are sufficient for the recovery of SCID mice from an E. cuniculi infection.  相似文献   

16.
Paranaella, a new microcotyline monotypic genus, is erected to accommodate Paranaella liquei sp. n., parasite of gill filaments from Hypostomus sp., Hypostomus regani (Ihering) and Rhinelepis aspera Spix et Agassiz (Loricariidae) from the Parani River, Brazil. The new genus is most closely related to Microcotyle Van Beneden et Hesse, 1863, Diplostamenides Unnithan. 1971 and Solostamenides Unnithan, 1971. From Microcotyle it differs mainly by having the genital atrium formed by a muscular ring with a concentric row of numerous elongate and straight spines; from Diplostamenides it can be distinguished by the unarmed and not differentiated cirrus and from Solostamenides it differs by the single vaginal pore and absence of larval hooks.  相似文献   

17.
A total of 6,199 adult ticks (Haemaphysalis intermis, Dermacentor reticulatus, D. marginatus and Ixodes ricinus) collected in three localities in Slovakia were examined for microsporidian infection. The spores of Nosema slovaca were found in six D. reticulatus (0.097%). The microsporidian experimentally inoculated into the hemocele of half-engorged females of D. reticulatus caused acute infection and death of the host. The infection can be transmitted also to other tick species from the same region. The yield of spores from one tick ranges from 3 X 10(5) to 52 X 10(7) depending on the infection dose and tick species. Peroral infection of some butterfly larvae with the microsporidian pores was unsuccessful. The importance of Nosema infection in ticks in nature is discussed.  相似文献   

18.
The microsporidium Trachipleistophora hominis Hollister, Canning, Weidner, Field, Kench et Marriott, 1996, originally isolated from human skeletal muscle cells, inhibited myotube formation from myoblasts when grown in a mouse myoblast cell line C2,C12. Uninfected cultures readily converted to myotubes. Albendazole, a drug with known antimicrosporidial activity, was tested against T. hominis in C2,C12 cells. The drug was added when infection had reached 75% of C2,C12 cells, a level comparable to that obtained in heavily infected muscle in vivo. Doses of 1 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml had no effect on merogony or sporogony. In cultures exposed to 100 ng/ml albendazole, the C2,C12 cells remained in good condition while infection levels dropped to 25% over 7 weeks. Drug doses of 500 ng/ml and 1,000 ng/ml were deleterious to the host cells but some spores retained viability and were able to establish new infections once albendazole pressure was removed. T. hominis meronts exposed to 100 ng/ml albendazole mostly lacked the normally thick surface coat and its reticulate extensions. Meronts were not seen in cultures exposed to higher drug doses. Albendazole at a concentration of 100 ng/ml and higher had a profound effect on spore morphogenesis. There was erratic coiling of the polar tube, often involving the formation of double tubes, and chaotic disposition of membranes which could have been those of polaroplast. The in vitro susceptibility of T. hominis to albendazole was low in comparison with in vitro susceptibility of other microsporidia of human origin.  相似文献   

19.
家蚕的一种微孢子虫对小菜蛾的致病力测定   总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1  
测定了从家蚕体内分离的一种微孢子虫Vairimorpha sp.对小菜蛾的致病力。室内试验结果表明,当起始侵染期为小菜蛾2龄幼虫,浓度为1×10~6孢子/ml时对当代小菜蛾的致病力最高,幼虫的死亡率可达80.00%~82.67%,蛹死亡率可达50.00%~52.94%,而小菜蛾雌成虫的产卵量由对照的249.64~278.38粒/雌下降到120.56~126.72粒/雌,产卵量下降50%左右;当起始侵染期为3龄幼虫,浓度为1×10~6孢子/ml时,当代幼虫的死亡率只有40.00%~61.33%,与起始侵染期为2龄时相差很大,蛹死亡率和成虫每雌产卵量下降率与起始侵染期为2龄时差异不大。另外,家蚕微孢子虫还可通过垂直传染方式影响下代小菜蛾幼虫的死亡率。  相似文献   

20.
Marssoniella elegans Lemmermann, 1900, a parasite of ovarial tissues of the copepod Cyclops vicinus Uljanin, 1875, was studied as a representative of aquatic-clade microsporidia which form "heteroinfectious spores" (spores not infective to the original host as opposed to "homoinfectious spores" which are infective for the original host) and which thus should require an alternate host. Several structural characters of this microsporidian are similar to those of copepod morphs of microsporidia infecting mosquitoes. However, small subunit ribosomal DNA phylogeny indicates that caddis flies (Insecta, Trichoptera) might be the alternate hosts of Marssoniella. Ultrastructural data obtained are used to redefine the genus Marssoniella Lemmermann, 1900 and its type species Marssoniella elegans.  相似文献   

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