ISSN:
1365-2761
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Little is known about the role of macrophage products in blood-borne parasitic infections of fish. This study determined the effects of soluble products of goldfish macrophages on the growth of the haemoflagellate, Trypanosoma danilewskyi Laveran & Mesnil. Cell-free supernatants were collected from macrophage cultures that were derived from infected or uninfected goldfish. Trypanosomes were seeded into wells containing conditioned or control medium, incubated for seven days, and enumerated using flow cytometry. Supernatants collected from macrophages isolated from infected or uninfected fish, supported parasite growth significantly better (P 〈 0.05) compared to control medium. Supernatants, collected on day 12, 15, and 18 from macrophage cultures, induced a greater than 25% increase in the number of parasites. Moreover, the growth of T. danilewskyi was related to the number of macrophages seeded into cultures. This growth-enhancing activity was not specific to species or cell-type, as medium conditioned by mammalian macrophages or fibroblasts (fish or mammalian) significantly enhanced (P 〈 0.05) parasite growth. While compound(s) that are necessary for proliferation remain unidentified, our results suggest that over the prolonged evolutionary relationship with teleosts, T. danilewskyi has evolved to utilize soluble products of macrophages and fibroblasts as growth-enhancing factors.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2761.1999.00184.x
