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In Vitro Cultivation of an Insect Microsporidian Tubulinosema ratisbonensis in Mammalian Cells
Author(s) -
FRANZEN CASPAR,
FISCHER SUSANNE,
SCHROEDER JOSEF,
BLEISS WILFRID,
SCHNEUWLY STEPHAN,
SCHÖLMERICH JÜRGEN,
SALZBERGER BERND
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2005.00043x
Subject(s) - biology , microsporidia , ultrastructure , microsporidiosis , spore , microbiology and biotechnology , parasite hosting , in vitro , drosophila melanogaster , insect , cell culture , genetics , botany , gene , world wide web , computer science
.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°C and 37°C showed that there were fewer and smaller parasitic foci in cultures incubated at 37°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.