Back to Search Start Over

Long-Term Survival and Intracellular Replication of Mycoplasma hominis in Trichomonas vaginalis Cells: Potential Role of the Protozoon in Transmitting Bacterial Infection

Authors :
Daniele Dessì
Maria Rosaria Catania
Giuseppe Delogu
Paola Rappelli
Pier Luigi Fiori
Eleonora Emonte
Dess, D
Delogu, G
Emonte, E
Catania, MARIA ROSARIA
Fiori, Pl
Rappelli, P.
Source :
Infection and Immunity. 73:1180-1186
Publication Year :
2005
Publisher :
American Society for Microbiology, 2005.

Abstract

The existence of a symbiotic relationship between Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma hominis , which is the first reported example of symbiosis between two obligate human pathogens, has been recently reported by our research group. In this work, we examined the cellular location of M. hominis in respect to T. vaginalis . By using gentamicin protection assays, double immunofluorescence, and confocal microscopy, we obtained strong evidence that M. hominis is located within protozoan cells. 5-Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays showed that intracellularly located mycoplasmas actively synthesize DNA. Our results demonstrate that M. hominis has the capability of entering trichomonad cells and of replicating inside the protozoon. These findings suggest that symbiosis might provide the bacteria, during human infection, with the capability to resist to environmental stresses, such as host defense mechanisms and pharmacological therapies.

Details

ISSN :
10985522 and 00199567
Volume :
73
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Infection and Immunity
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....b3905b85d7d805260fad9643475d0e4a
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1128/iai.73.2.1180-1186.2005