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[Spiroplasma from Tabanidae capable to multiply and to persist in the central nervous system in mice]
C Chastel1, F Le Goff, I Humphery-Smith
1Laboratoire de Virologie, Faculté de Médecine, Brest.
Abstract:
Using alternate passages of cultivation in vitro at 37 degrees C and in suckling mice following intracerebral inoculation, a tabanid spiroplasma was demonstrated capable of multiplication and persistence in mice for 6 successive passages, without production of specific antibody. This is the first report of a spiroplasma from a common flying haematophagous arthropod shown to produce persistent infection of a mammal.
Insights
A spiroplasma from horse flies can multiply and persist in mice for six passages without triggering an immune response. This study shows the first persistent mammalian infection by a spiroplasma from a blood-feeding insect.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Arthropod-borne Pathogens
Context:
- Spiroplasma are helical, wall-less bacteria that can infect arthropods and some other organisms.
- Persistent infections are crucial for understanding pathogen transmission and host-pathogen interactions.
- The role of spiroplasmas from common flying haematophagous arthropods in mammalian infections remains largely unexplored.
Purpose:
- To investigate the potential of a tabanid spiroplasma to establish a persistent infection in a mammalian host.
- To determine if the spiroplasma can multiply and be passaged within the host without eliciting an antibody response.
Summary:
- A spiroplasma isolated from a tabanid (horse fly) was cultured in vitro and inoculated intracerebrally into suckling mice.
- The spiroplasma successfully multiplied and persisted in the mice through six serial passages.
- No specific antibody production was detected in the infected mice during the study period.
Impact:
- This research reports the first instance of a spiroplasma from a common flying blood-feeding arthropod causing a persistent infection in a mammal.
- The findings suggest potential for spiroplasmas to act as persistent mammalian pathogens, necessitating further investigation into their transmission and pathogenicity.
- Highlights the importance of considering arthropod-borne pathogens in the context of persistent infections.