Scanning electron microscopy of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) attached to cultured mammalian cells.
AUTOR(ES)
Fitzgerald, T J
RESUMO
This paper describes the attachment of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) to cultured mammalian cells as a visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Treponemes were incubated for 3 hr with cultured cells derived from normal rabbit testes or human skin epithelium, then fixed, processed with critical-point drying, and examined with a Cambridge Mark 2A scanning electron microscope. Large numbers of treponemes became attached to the cultured cells without altering the morphological integrity of the cultured cells. Attachment appeared to involve a very close physical proximity of treponemes to the cultured cells; at the site of attachment, no changes such as swelling or indentation of the cultured cell surface were observed. The addition of ruthenium red to the fixatives produced a treponemal-associated surface precipitate. This material, which is probably mucopolysaccharide and/or phospholipid, may be important in protecting the organisms against host defense mechanisms; in addition, it may be involved in the serological unresponsiveness of freshly prepared suspensions of T. pallidum.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=235358Documentos Relacionados
- Mucopolysaccharide Material Resulting from the Interaction of Treponema pallidum (Nichols Strain) with Cultured Mammalian Cells
- Characterization of the attachment of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) to cultured mammalian cells and the potential relationship of attachment to pathogenicity.
- Antigenic and structural characterization of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) endoflagella.
- Growth and subculture of pathogenic T. pallidum (Nichols strain) in BHK-21 cultured tissue cells.
- Interaction of Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain) with cultured mammalian cells: effects of oxygen, reducing agents, serum supplements, and different cell types.