» Articles » PMID: 16014013

In Vitro Cultivation of an Insect Microsporidian Tubulinosema Ratisbonensis in Mammalian Cells

Overview
Publisher Wiley
Date 2005 Jul 15
PMID 16014013
Citations 3
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Tubulinosema ratisbonensis is a microsporidian pathogen of Drosophila melanogaster belonging to the family Tubulinosematidae. The microsporidia in this family mainly cause infections in invertebrate hosts, but two members of this family, Brachiola vesicularum and Brachiola algerae, have been found to cause infections in humans as well. Moreover, B. algerae can be transmitted to immunodeficient mice and grows in mammalian cell cultures. Thus, the examination of the opportunistic properties of other members of the family Tubulinosematidae is important. Spores of T. ratisbonensis, isolated from infected fruit flies, were used to inoculate mammalian and insect cell cultures. Parasite growth was only seen in human lung fibroblasts. No growth was seen in Vero cells or insect cell cultures. Comparison of growth kinetics at 31 degrees C and 37 degrees C showed that there were fewer and smaller parasitic foci in cultures incubated at 37 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the typical ultrastructure of T. ratisbonensis, and scanning electron microscopy showed oval or slightly pyriform spores, with some spores having extruded their polar tubes. The PCR-amplified sequences of rDNA fragments from infected cell cultures were 100% identical to the original T. ratisbonensis rRNA sequence. As T. ratisbonensis is able to proliferate in mammalian cell cultures, it may have the opportunistic properties of other members of the family Tubulinosematidae.

Citing Articles

Phagocytosis Is the Sole Arm of Known Host Defenses That Provides Some Protection Against Microsporidia Infection.

Caravello G, Franchet A, Niehus S, Ferrandon D Front Immunol. 2022; 13:858360.

PMID: 35493511 PMC: 9043853. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.858360.


Draft Genome Sequence of Tubulinosema ratisbonensis, a Microsporidian Species Infecting the Model Organism Drosophila melanogaster.

Polonais V, Niehus S, Wawrzyniak I, Franchet A, Gaspin C, Belkorchia A Microbiol Resour Announc. 2019; 8(31).

PMID: 31371528 PMC: 6675976. DOI: 10.1128/MRA.00077-19.


Animal cell cultures in microsporidial research: their general roles and their specific use for fish microsporidia.

Monaghan S, Kent M, Watral V, Kaufman R, Lee L, Bols N In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2009; 45(3-4):135-47.

PMID: 19184249 PMC: 4760642. DOI: 10.1007/s11626-008-9172-3.