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Cultivation of pathogenic treponema in tissue cultures of SflEp cells
Abstract:
Recently, the successful in vitro cultivation of the Nichols strain of Treponema pallidum was achieved. Afterward, attempts were made to cultivate three other strains of T. pallidum and two strains of T. pertenue. The cultivation of the KKJ, Mexico A, and Bosnia A strains of T. pallidum was somewhat successful; the average increases were 10.8, 9.1, and 7.5-fold, respectively. The range of growth for each of these strains varied dramatically from experiment to experiment. The KKJ strain varied from 14.4 to 8.0-fold; the Mexico A strain from 12.8 to 5.4-fold; and the Bosnia A strain from 11.3 to 3.6-fold. However, the attempts to cultivate the Gauthier and the FB strains of T. pertenue were unsuccessful. The average increases were 1.7 and 1.9-fold, respectively. Although the maximum growth observed was about threefold with either of these strains of T. pertenue, over 50% of the treponemes remained motile for 10 d. These results suggest that although each of these strains of T. pallidum and T. pertenue has been shown to be genetically identical, they are very diverse biologically even among strains of the same species.
Insights
Successful in vitro cultivation of Treponema pallidum strains varied. While some Treponema pallidum strains showed moderate growth, Treponema pertenue strains were largely unsuccessful, highlighting biological diversity.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Bacteriology
Background:
- Treponema pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis and yaws.
- In vitro cultivation of T. pallidum has been a significant challenge in microbiology.
- Previous research achieved successful cultivation of the Nichols strain of T. pallidum.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the in vitro cultivation success of additional Treponema pallidum strains and Treponema pertenue strains.
- To evaluate the biological diversity among different strains of T. pallidum and T. pertenue, despite genetic similarities.
Main Methods:
- Attempted in vitro cultivation of three T. pallidum strains (KKJ, Mexico A, Bosnia A) and two T. pertenue strains (Gauthier, FB).
- Quantified the fold increase in treponeme numbers during cultivation.
- Assessed treponeme motility over time post-cultivation.
Main Results:
- Moderate in vitro growth was achieved for T. pallidum strains KKJ (10.8-fold), Mexico A (9.1-fold), and Bosnia A (7.5-fold), with significant experimental variability.
- In vitro cultivation attempts for T. pertenue strains Gauthier (1.7-fold) and FB (1.9-fold) were largely unsuccessful.
- Despite limited growth, over 50% of T. pertenue remained motile for 10 days.
Conclusions:
- Significant biological diversity exists among T. pallidum and T. pertenue strains, even those genetically identical.
- In vitro cultivation success varies considerably between different strains within the same species.
- Further research is needed to understand the factors influencing treponemal growth and motility in vitro.