Enhancement of in vitro cytopathogenicity by Acanthamoeba spp. following acquisition of bacterial endosymbionts

Abstract Approximately one in five isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. recovered from clinical and environmental sources are found to harbor obligate, uncultured bacterial endosymbionts of unknown clinical significance. To investigate their possible role in amoebic pathogenesis, four uninfected amoebic st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology letters 1998-09, Vol.166 (2), p.231-236
Main Authors: Fritsche, Thomas R., Sobek, Dane, Gautom, Romesh K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthamoeba
Acanthamoeba - growth & development
Acanthamoeba - isolation & purification
Acanthamoeba - microbiology
Acanthamoeba - pathogenicity
Amoeba
Animals
Bacteria
Bacterial endosymbiont
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Line
Culture Media, Conditioned
Endosymbionts
Fibroblasts
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gram-Negative Bacteria - physiology
Humans
In vitro cytopathogenicity
Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis
Microbiology
Monolayers
Pathogenesis
Protozoa
Sexually transmitted diseases
Statistical analysis
STD
Symbiosis
Virulence
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Summary:Abstract Approximately one in five isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. recovered from clinical and environmental sources are found to harbor obligate, uncultured bacterial endosymbionts of unknown clinical significance. To investigate their possible role in amoebic pathogenesis, four uninfected amoebic strains were exposed to four different endosymbionts, from which 12 stably-infected host-symbiont pairs resulted. Standardized inocula of amoebae with and without endosymbionts were placed on fibroblast monolayers to examine for cytopathic effects (CPEs). Eight to 10 days were required for monolayer effacement by endosymbiont-free amoebae; 5–8 days for amoebae containing Gram-negative rod endosymbionts; and 3 days for two amoebic isolates infected with a Chlamydia-like endosymbiont. All endosymbiont-infected amoebae produced a statistically significant enhancement in CPEs in comparison to uninfected amoebae; endosymbionts alone on monolayers produced no CPEs. This report provides evidence that obligate bacterial endosymbionts are able to enhance amoebic pathogenic potential in vitro by some as-yet unknown mechanism.
ISSN:0378-1097
1574-6968
DOI:10.1111/j.1574-6968.1998.tb13895.x