LIFE CYCLE OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM MURIS IN TWO RODENTS EXHIBITING A DIFFERENT RESPONSE TO THE PARASITIZATION
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | X. české a slovenské parazitologické dny |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.parazitologie.cz/akce/doc/Sbornik_Paradny_2012_web.pdf |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | cryptosporidia; development; gastric; merozoite; oocyst; pathology |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Genus Cryptosporidium belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa comprising numerous important human and animal pathogens. Considering their unique epicellular location on the surface of host epithelial cells as well as molecular analyses pointing out their phylogenetic affinity with gregarines, cryptosporidia are recently often excluded from the typical coccidia. Cryptosporidium muris is a gastrointestinal pathogen parasitizing epithelial cells within crypts of the gastric glands and exhibiting a monoxenous life cycle. Main aim of this study was to map the in vivo development of C. muris using a combined microscopic approach and molecular tool (nested PCR amplifying SSU rRNA.Experimental inoculations with infective oocysts were performed simultaneously in two species of laboratory rodents, BALB/c mice and the southern multimammate rat Mastomys coucha, differing in their prepatent and patent period. Emphasis was given to the existence and the chronology of particular developmental stages that are generally described throughout the literature related to cryptosporidia. The presence of merozoites Type II and the thin walled oocysts, that are thought to be responsible for autoinfection, was confirmed in both rodent models; nevertheless, they occurred in these hosts at different time after inoculation and in different abundance. The initial phase of the infection of BALB/c mice progressed rapidly with a prepatent period of 7-10 days, while in M. coucha the developmental stages of C. muris were observed later and its prepatent period was longer (18-21 days). Similarly, the patent periods of BALB/c mice and M. coucha differed significantly, i.e. 10-15 days and chronic infection throughout the life of host respectively. We focused on pathological alterations of the affected gastric tissue. In M. coucha, the first pathological modifications were observed in a chronic phase of infection, while the gastric tissue of BALB/c mice exhibited no observable changes induced by the parasite. |
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