Development and infectivity of Trypanosoma phaleri in leech and fish hosts

Abstract

Trypanosoma phaleri underwent cyclopropagative development in the gut of the leech Desserobdella phalera. Dividing sphaeromastigotes and epimastigotes preceded nondividing, elongate, slender trypomastigotes. The latter forms migrated from the crop to the proboscis sheath, shortened, and acquired infectivity. Metatrypanosomes from the proboscis sheath but not those from the crop were infective. The flagellum of short metatrypanosomes penetrated the cuticular lining of the proboscis sheath. Proboscis-sheath infections were first detected 9 days after an infective blood meal in 2 of 10 leeches incubated at 13 °C and after 2 days in 1 of 10 leeches incubated at 20 °C. In the former group, 3 of 10 leeches had proboscis-sheath infections after 11 days whereas in the latter group, 9 of 10 leeches had proboscis-sheath infections after 5 days. Metatrypanosomes did not reinvade the proboscis sheath when infected leeches fed on uninfected Amia calva but did so if the subsequent blood meal was infective. Developmental stages were not detected in 49 leeches that fed on A. calva with infections of 24 and 48 h but were detected in 4 of 27 leeches that fed on A. calva with 72-h infections.

Trypanosomes infecting cod Gadus morhua L. in the North Atlantic: a resurrection of Trypanosoma pleuronectidium Robertson, 1906 and delimitation of T. murmanense Nikitin, 1927 (emend.), with a review of other trypanosomes from North Atlantic and Mediterranean teleosts

“…Life-cycle and culture characteristics have so far aided the recognition of some freshwater fish trypanosome species (e.g. Jones & Woo 1990, 1991a, 1991b, 1993.…”

In Vitro Cellular Division of Trypanosoma abeli Reveals Two Pathways for Organelle Replication

“…Further, T. cruzi trypomastigotes differentiate into amastigotes in mammalian host by asymmetric division (Kurup and Tarleton 2014). Since epimastigotes and small trypomastigotes are typical forms found in infected leeches (Jones and Woo 1991b;Lemos et al 2015), we suggest that the culture medium used in our experiments mimics invertebrate host system. Thus, we hypothesized that the asymmetric division observed in T. abeli could represent a way to change its cellular morphology, maintain the infection in invertebrate host and produce infective trypomastigotes to the vertebrate host.…”

“…cruzi trypomastigotes differentiate into amastigotes in mammalian host by asymmetric division (Kurup and Tarleton ). Since epimastigotes and small trypomastigotes are typical forms found in infected leeches (Jones and Woo ; Lemos et al. ), we suggest that the culture medium used in our experiments mimics invertebrate host system.…”

“…The features of the symmetric and asymmetric divisions observed in our study were previously documented ex vivo and in vitro for two species of fish trypanosomes: Trypanosoma phaleri and T . catostomi (Jones and Woo ,b). It is also known that African trypanosomes can exhibit both types of body segregation during tsetse fly development, which could be related to colonization of salivary gland and maintenance of parasite's lifespan (symmetric division) and production of premetacyclic trypomastigotes (asymmetric division) (Ooi et al.…”

Antigenic characterisation of cultured trypanosomes isolated from three species of fishes

“…The biology of two species of trypanosomes from North American freshwater fishes was recently elucidated (Jones & Woo, 1990, 1991a,b, 1992. Trypanosoma phaleri Jones & Woo is a pleomorphic parasite of bowfin Amia calva, whereas Trypanosoma catostomi Daly & DeGiusti is a monomorphic parasite of white sucker Catostomus commersoni.…”