scholarly journals Effectiveness of the enzyme cytosine deaminase in the free living ciliary organism Tetrahymena pyriformis (Ehrenberg, 1830)

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Zahraa Bashi ◽  
Muna Jankeer
2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 4432-4439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen D. Strahl ◽  
Glenda E. Gillaspy ◽  
Joseph O. Falkinham

ABSTRACT Fluorescent acid-fast microscopy (FAM) was used to enumerate intracellular Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, and Mycobacterium scrofulaceumin the ciliated phagocytic protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. There was a linear relationship between FAM and colony counts of M. avium cells both from cultures and within protozoa. The Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast stain could not be used to enumerate intracellular mycobacteria because uninfected protozoa contained acid-fast, bacterium-like particles. Starved, 7-day-old cultures of T. pyriformis transferred into fresh medium readily phagocytized M. avium, M. intracellulare, and M. scrofulaceum. Phagocytosis was rapid and reached a maximum in 30 min. M. avium, M. intracellulare, and M. scrofulaceum grew within T. pyriformis, increasing by factors of 4- to 40-fold after 5 days at 30°C. Intracellular M. avium numbers remained constant over a 25-day period of growth (by transfer) of T. pyriformis. Intracellular M. avium cells also survived protozoan encystment and germination. The growth and viability of T. pyriformis were not affected by mycobacterial infection. The results suggest that free-living phagocytic protozoa may be natural hosts and reservoirs for M. avium, M. intracellulare, and M. scrofulaceum.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel N. Farthing ◽  
Jiamei Jiang ◽  
Alexandra J. Henwood ◽  
Andy Fenton ◽  
Trent Garner ◽  
...  

AbstractFree-living eukaryotic microbes may reduce animal diseases. We evaluated the dynamics by which micrograzers (primarily protozoa) apply top-down control on the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) a devastating, panzootic pathogen of amphibians. Although micrograzers consumed zoospores (∼3 µm), the dispersal stage of chytrids, not all species grew monoxenically on zoospores. However, the ubiquitous ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis, which likely co-occurs with Bd, grew at near its maximum rate (r = 1.7 d-1). A functional response (ingestion vs. prey abundance) for T. pyriformis, measured using spore-surrogates (microspheres) revealed maximum ingestion (Imax) of 1.63 × 103 zoospores d-1, with a half saturation constant (k) of 5.75 × 103 zoospores ml-1. Using these growth and grazing data we developed and assessed a population model that incorporated chytrid-host and micrograzer dynamics. Simulations using our data and realistic parameters obtained from the literature suggested that micrograzers could control Bd and potentially prevent chytridiomycosis (defined as 104 sporangia host-1). However, simulated inferior micrograzers (0.7 x Imax and 1.5 x k) did not prevent chytridiomycosis, although they ultimately reduced pathogen abundance to below levels resulting in disease. These findings indicate how micrograzer responses can be applied when modelling disease dynamics for Bd and other zoosporic fungi.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel N. Farthing ◽  
Jiamei Jiang ◽  
Alexandra J. Henwood ◽  
Andy Fenton ◽  
Trent W. J. Garner ◽  
...  

Free-living eukaryotic microbes may reduce animal diseases. We evaluated the dynamics by which micrograzers (primarily protozoa) apply top-down control on the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) a devastating, panzootic pathogen of amphibians. Although micrograzers consumed zoospores (∼3 μm), the dispersal stage of chytrids, not all species grew monoxenically on zoospores. However, the ubiquitous ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis, which likely co-occurs with Bd, grew at near its maximum rate (r = 1.7 d–1). A functional response (ingestion vs. prey abundance) for T. pyriformis, measured using spore-surrogates (microspheres) revealed maximum ingestion (Imax) of 1.63 × 103 zoospores d–1, with a half saturation constant (k) of 5.75 × 103 zoospores ml–1. Using these growth and grazing data we developed and assessed a population model that incorporated chytrid-host and micrograzer dynamics. Simulations using our data and realistic parameters obtained from the literature suggested that micrograzers could control Bd and potentially prevent chytridiomycosis (defined as 104 sporangia host–1). However, simulated inferior micrograzers (0.7 × Imax and 1.5 × k) did not prevent chytridiomycosis, although they ultimately reduced pathogen abundance to below levels resulting in disease. These findings indicate how micrograzer responses can be applied when modeling disease dynamics for Bd and other zoosporic fungi.


Author(s):  
W. L. Steffens ◽  
Nancy B. Roberts ◽  
J. M. Bowen

The canine heartworm is a common and serious nematode parasite of domestic dogs in many parts of the world. Although nematode neuroanatomy is fairly well documented, the emphasis has been on sensory anatomy and primarily in free-living soil species and ascarids. Lee and Miller reported on the muscular anatomy in the heartworm, but provided little insight into the peripheral nervous system or myoneural relationships. The classical fine-structural description of nematode muscle innervation is Rosenbluth's earlier work in Ascaris. Since the pharmacological effects of some nematacides currently being developed are neuromuscular in nature, a better understanding of heartworm myoneural anatomy, particularly in reference to the synaptic region is warranted.


Author(s):  
L. J. Brenner ◽  
D. G. Osborne ◽  
B. L. Schumaker

Exposure of the ciliate, Tetrahymena pyriformis, strain WH6, to normal human or rabbit sera or mouse ascites fluids induces the formation of large cytoplasmic bodies. By electron microscopy these (LB) are observed to be membrane-bounded structures, generally spherical and varying in size (Fig. 1), which do not resemble the food vacuoles of cells grown in proteinaceous broth. The possibility exists that the large bodies represent endocytic vacuoles containing material concentrated from the highly nutritive proteins and lipoproteins of the sera or ascites fluids. Tetrahymena mixed with bovine serum albumin or ovalbumin solutions having about the same protein concentration (7g/100 ml) as serum form endocytic vacuoles which bear little resemblance to the serum-induced LB. The albumin-induced structures (Fig. 2) are irregular in shape, rarely spherical, and have contents which vary in density and consistency. In this paper an attempt is made to formulate the sequence of events which might occur in the formation of the albumin-induced vacuoles.


2003 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. De Francisco ◽  
N. De Francisco ◽  
N. De Francisco
Keyword(s):  

1985 ◽  
Vol 54 (03) ◽  
pp. 563-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
M K Salo ◽  
E Vartiainen ◽  
P Puska ◽  
T Nikkari

SummaryPlatelet aggregation and its relation to fatty acid composition of platelets, plasma and adipose tissue was determined in 196 randomly selected, free-living, 40-49-year-old men in two regions of Finland (east and southwest) with a nearly twofold difference in the IHD rate.There were no significant east-southwest differences in platelet aggregation induced with ADP, thrombin or epinephrine. ADP-induced platelet secondary aggregation showed significant negative associations with all C20-C22 ω3-fatty acids in platelets (r = -0.26 - -0.40) and with the platelet 20: 5ω3/20: 4ω 6 and ω3/ ω6 ratios, but significant positive correlations with the contents of 18:2 in adipose tissue (r = 0.20) and plasma triglycerides (TG) (r = 0.29). Epinephrine-induced aggregation correlated negatively with 20: 5ω 3 in plasma cholesteryl esters (CE) (r = -0.23) and TG (r = -0.29), and positively with the total percentage of saturated fatty acids in platelets (r = 0.33), but had no significant correlations with any of the ω6-fatty acids. Thrombin-induced aggregation correlated negatively with the ω3/6ω ratio in adipose tissue (r = -0.25) and the 20: 3ω6/20: 4ω 6 ratio in plasma CE (r = -0.27) and free fatty acids (FFA) (r = -0.23), and positively with adipose tissue 18:2 (r = 0.23) and 20:4ω6 (r = 0.22) in plasma phospholipids (PL).The percentages of prostanoid precursors in platelet lipids, i. e. 20: 3ω 6, 20: 4ω 6 and 20 :5ω 3, correlated best with the same fatty acids in plasma CE (r = 0.32 - 0.77) and PL (r = 0.28 - 0.74). Platelet 20: 5ω 3 had highly significant negative correlations with the percentage of 18:2 in adipose tissue and all plasma lipid fractions (r = -0.35 - -0.44).These results suggest that, among a free-living population, relatively small changes in the fatty acid composition of plasma and platelets may be reflected in significant differences in platelet aggregation, and that an increase in linoleate-rich vegetable fat in the diet may not affect platelet function favourably unless it is accompanied by an adequate supply of ω3 fatty acids.


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