Hepatic tissue culture model for study of host-parasite interactions in alveolar echinococcosis

An in vitro model for growth and differentiation of the metacestode tissue of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis is described. This model simulates the organotropism of the parasite toward the liver of the intermediate host. In the presence of collagen-embedded primary hepatocytes from rats and humans, which can be kept in culture for 2 to 3 months, the parasitic vesicles grew by exogenous budding and multiplied about 12-fold within 3 weeks. In contrast, without the hepatocytes, the metacestodes rapidly degenerated. Development of protoscolices was seen only in the presence of rat hepatocytes but not in coculture of the metacestodes with hepatocytes of human origin, thus reflecting the in vivo situation during infection of rodents and in alveolar echinococcosis in humans. The experiments indicated that growth of the metacestodes and development of protoscolices depended on soluble low-molecular-weight factors released by the hepatocytes. The in vitro-grown metacestodes did not differ morphologically from the larvae found in infected intermediate hosts, and their infectivity was completely maintained. This report describes the first in vitro model of alveolar echinococcosis and will be the basis for future studies on host-parasite interactions of this important zoonosis.