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Trichuris muris Infection: A Model of Type 2 Immunity and Inflammation in the Gut
Published on: May 24, 2011
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Bacteria-induced egg hatching differs for Trichuris muris and Trichuris suis
Nermina Vejzagić1, Roberto Adelfio2,3, Jennifer Keiser4,5
1Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark. nerminav@plen.ku.dk.
Parasites & Vectors
|July 16, 2015
Summary
Trichuris muris eggs hatch in response to bacterial cultures, but Trichuris suis eggs do not. This difference in egg hatching suggests distinct adaptations to host-specific gut environments.
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Trichuris suis eggs are investigated as a treatment for immune-mediated diseases, with embryonated eggs serving as the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API).
- Trichuris muris, a rodent whipworm, is a model organism for studying Trichuris biology.
- Embryonated eggs of Trichuris species contain a larva and are biologically active, capable of invading the host's intestinal mucosa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the in vitro hatching of Trichuris muris and Trichuris suis eggs when exposed to various bacterial cultures.
- To use egg hatching as a metric for assessing the biological activity of Trichuris eggs.
Main Methods:
- Eggs of T. muris and T. suis were incubated with Escherichia coli strain (BL-21) at varying concentrations.
- Additional experiments involved incubating eggs with different strains of E. coli and five species of Gram-positive bacteria.
- A modified in vitro egg hatching assay, initially developed for T. muris, was utilized.
Main Results:
- Trichuris muris eggs exhibited hatching when incubated with E. coli and Gram-positive bacteria, although hatching with the latter showed high variability.
- Trichuris suis eggs did not hatch when exposed to different concentrations and strains of E. coli after 4 and 24-hour incubation periods.
- Noticeable hatching of T. muris eggs was observed after 20 hours of incubation with Gram-positive bacteria.
Conclusions:
- A significant difference in egg hatching between T. muris and T. suis was observed when incubated with specific bacteria.
- These hatching differences suggest distinct biological characteristics between the two Trichuris species.
- The findings may indicate specific adaptations of each species to their respective host-specific gut microbiota.
