Adherence of Tritrichomonas foetus to bovine vaginal epithelial cells

Abstract

Adherence of Tritrichomonas foetus to bovine vaginal epithelial cells (VECs) in vitro was investigated with fresh washed bovine VECs and log-phase cultures of T. foetus. Observation under phase-contrast microscopy showed that T. foetus usually adhered first by the posterior flagellum and later by the body. Significantly more keratinized squamous epithelial cells were detected with attached parasites than nonkeratinized round epithelial cells. The optimal pH range for attachment was 6.0 to 7.5, with peak attachment at pH 6.5 for squamous VECs. Surface-reactive bovine antiserum to T. foetus prevented adherence to bovine squamous VECs. Inhibition of adherence occurred at nonagglutinating, nonimmobilizing serum dilutions. Antiserum fractions enriched for immunoglobulin Gl inhibited adherence, but fractions enriched for immunoglobulin G2 did not. The inhibitory antiserum was specific for several mediumto high-molecular-weight membrane antigens as detected in Western blots (immunoblots). The ability of surface-reactive antibodies to prevent adherence and to agglutinate and immobilize T. foetus indicates that they may be protective.

Cytotoxic and hemolytic effects of Tritrichomonas foetus on mammalian cells

“…1) as well. The possible importance of contact-dependent host cell damage is also suggested by a recent report indicating that T. foetus can adhere to primary bovine vaginal epithelial cells (13), although this report did not address target cell damage by adhering parasites.…”

“…Tritrichomonas foetus has been reported to attach to bovine primary vaginal epithelial cells (13), damage cultured cells and inhibit their division (16,22), produce enzymes capable of attacking host tissues (14,26,29), cause inflammation of the uterus (30), and invade bovine placental tissue (33). By using monoclonal antibodies specific for surface epitopes of T. foetus (9, 10) we recently confirmed this bovine tissue invasion (11).…”

Initial steps in defining the environment of the prepuce of the bull by measuring pH and temperature

“…1 Various niches can be distinguished by a specific temperature or pH range within a particular host, which is of interest because the pH is a physiological barrier that must be overcome during establishment of bacterial, fungal or protozoal infections. [2][3][4] Previous studies of the pH of the bovine reproductive tract have been limited to female cattle and focussed on the relationship between pH and the oestrous cycle, pregnancy status or conception rate. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] The pH of the bovine vagina in those studies ranged from 5.5 to 8.6.…”

Analysis of adhesion and cytotoxicity of Tritrichomonas foetus to mammalian cells by use of monoclonal antibodies

“…The ability of pathogenic microorganisms to adhere to host cells often plays an integral role in establishing infections that lead to the disease processes in infected hosts (10,13,14). Parasitic protozoa that inhabit mucosal surfaces have been shown to adhere to host cells (1,11,13), indicating that such adhesion may play an important role in the pathogenesis of these infections.…”

“…Trichomonads can display cytotoxicity to mammalian cells (2,8), a process that appears to involve contact with the target cell in Trichomonas vaginalis (17). Although adhesion of Tritrichomonas foetus to bovine vaginal epithelial cells has been reported (11), the relationship of the adhesion process to cell or tissue damage was not examined.…”