1. Leishmania chagasi: homogenous metacyclic promastigotes isolated by buoyant density are highly virulent in a mouse model.
- Author
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Yao C, Chen Y, Sudan B, Donelson JE, and Wilson ME
- Subjects
- Animals, Cricetinae, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Glycosphingolipids chemistry, Glycosphingolipids metabolism, Isoenzymes metabolism, Leishmania infantum enzymology, Liver parasitology, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Peptide Hydrolases metabolism, Spleen parasitology, Virulence, Leishmania infantum isolation & purification, Leishmania infantum pathogenicity, Leishmaniasis, Visceral parasitology
- Abstract
Homogenous metacyclic promastigotes of Leishmania chagasi were isolated by buoyant density from in vitro heterogeneous cultures and used for biochemical characterization of isoforms of the major surface protease (MSP). Compared to stationary phase promastigotes, metacyclic cells had three times more MSP, produced 3-fold higher parasite loads in a mouse model in vivo, and were more resistant to complement-mediated lysis in vitro. These metacyclic L. chagasi expressed both the virulence-associated 59-kDa, and the constitutively expressed 63-kDa, isoforms of MSP.
- Published
- 2008
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