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Häcker G. Chlamydia in pigs: intriguing bacteria associated with sub-clinical carriage and clinical disease, and with zoonotic potential. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1301892. [PMID: 39206090 PMCID: PMC11349706 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1301892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Chlamydiae are bacteria that are intriguing and important at the same time. The genus Chlamydia encompasses many species of obligate intracellular organisms: they can multiply only inside the cells of their host organism. Many, perhaps most animals have their own specifically adapted chlamydial species. In humans, the clinically most relevant species is Chlamydia trachomatis, which has particular importance as an agent of sexually transmitted disease. Pigs are the natural host of Chlamydia suis but may also carry Chlamydia abortus and Chlamydia pecorum. C. abortus and possibly C. suis have anthropozoonotic potential, which makes them interesting to human medicine, but all three species bring a substantial burden of disease to pigs. The recent availability of genomic sequence comparisons suggests adaptation of chlamydial species to their respective hosts. In cell biological terms, many aspects of all the species seem similar but non-identical: the bacteria mostly replicate within epithelial cells; they are taken up by the host cell in an endosome that they customize to generate a cytosolic vacuole; they have to evade cellular defences and have to organize nutrient transport to the vacuole; finally, they have to organize their release to be able to infect the next cell or the next host. What appears to be very difficult and challenging to achieve, is in fact a greatly successful style of parasitism. I will here attempt to cover some of the aspects of the infection biology of Chlamydia, from cell biology to immune defence, epidemiology and possibilities of prevention. I will discuss the pig as a host species and the species known to infect pigs but will in particular draw on the more detailed knowledge that we have on species that infect especially humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Häcker
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Ison EK, Hopf-Jannasch AS, Harding JCS, Alex Pasternak J. Effects of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) on thyroid hormone metabolism in the late gestation fetus. Vet Res 2022; 53:74. [PMID: 36175938 PMCID: PMC9524047 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-022-01092-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in late gestation causes a profound suppression of circulating maternal and fetal thyroid hormone during a critical window of development. To understand this relationship, we evaluated thyroid hormone metabolism at the maternal-fetal interface and within fetal tissues, along with hormone metabolite levels in serum. Fetuses were classified using an established model based on viral load in serum and thymus, and preservation status, including uninfected (UNIF), high-viral load viable (HV-VIA), and high-viral load meconium-stained (HV-MEC), with additional controls from sham-inoculated gilts (CON). Expression of three iodothyronine deiodinases, five sulfotransferases, sulfatase, and two solute carriers known to transport thyroid hormone were evaluated in maternal endometrium and fetal placenta, liver, and kidney. Serum thyroxin (T4), reverse triiodothyronine (rT3), and diiodothyronine (T2) were evaluated via liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Significant changes in gene expression were observed in all four tissues, with the liver being the most severely impacted. We observed local and fetal specific regulation of maternal tissues through significant upregulation of DIO2 and DIO3 expression in the endometrium corresponding to infected but viable fetuses relative to uninfected and control fetuses. Expression levels of DIO2 and DIO3 were significantly higher in the resilient (HV-VIA) fetuses relative to the susceptible (HV-MEC) fetuses. A substantial decrease in serum T4 was confirmed, with no corresponding increase in rT3 or T2. Collectively, these results show that thyroid hormone metabolism is altered at the maternal-fetal interface and within the PRRSV infected fetus and is associated with fetal viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin K Ison
- Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
| | | | - John C S Harding
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Dr., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - J Alex Pasternak
- Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA.
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Amaral AF, McQueen BE, Bellingham-Johnstun K, Poston TB, Darville T, Nagarajan UM, Laplante C, Käser T. Host-Pathogen Interactions of Chlamydia trachomatis in Porcine Oviduct Epithelial Cells. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10101270. [PMID: 34684219 PMCID: PMC8540921 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10101270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) causes the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted disease leading to ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Swine not only have many similarities to humans, but they are also susceptible to Ct. Despite these benefits and the ease of access to primary tissue from this food animal, in vitro research in swine has been underutilized. This study will provide basic understanding of the Ct host–pathogen interactions in porcine oviduct epithelial cells (pOECs)—the counterparts of human Fallopian tube epithelial cells. Using NanoString technology, flow cytometry, and confocal and transmission-electron microscopy, we studied the Ct developmental cycle in pOECs, the cellular immune response, and the expression and location of the tight junction protein claudin-4. We show that Ct productively completes its developmental cycle in pOECs and induces an immune response to Ct similar to human cells: Ct mainly induced the upregulation of interferon regulated genes and T-cell attracting chemokines. Furthermore, Ct infection induced an accumulation of claudin-4 in the Ct inclusion with a coinciding reduction of membrane-bound claudin-4. Downstream effects of the reduced membrane-bound claudin-4 expression could potentially include a reduction in tight-junction expression, impaired epithelial barrier function as well as increased susceptibility to co-infections. Thereby, this study justifies the investigation of the effect of Ct on tight junctions and the mucosal epithelial barrier function. Taken together, this study demonstrates that primary pOECs represent an excellent in vitro model for research into Ct pathogenesis, cell biology and immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda F. Amaral
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA;
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Bryan E. McQueen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, 116 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (B.E.M.); (T.D.)
| | - Kimberly Bellingham-Johnstun
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; (K.B.-J.); (C.L.)
| | - Taylor B. Poston
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, 116 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (T.B.P.); (U.M.N.)
| | - Toni Darville
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, 116 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (B.E.M.); (T.D.)
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, 116 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (T.B.P.); (U.M.N.)
| | - Uma M. Nagarajan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, 116 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (T.B.P.); (U.M.N.)
| | - Caroline Laplante
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; (K.B.-J.); (C.L.)
| | - Tobias Käser
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA;
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-919-513-6352
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Käser T. Swine as biomedical animal model for T-cell research-Success and potential for transmittable and non-transmittable human diseases. Mol Immunol 2021; 135:95-115. [PMID: 33873098 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2021.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Swine is biologically one of the most relevant large animal models for biomedical research. With its use as food animal that can be exploited as a free cell and tissue source for research and its high susceptibility to human diseases, swine additionally represent an excellent option for both the 3R principle and One Health research. One of the previously most limiting factors of the pig model was its arguably limited immunological toolbox. Yet, in the last decade, this toolbox has vastly improved including the ability to study porcine T-cells. This review summarizes the swine model for biomedical research with focus on T cells. It first contrasts the swine model to the more commonly used mouse and non-human primate model before describing the current capabilities to characterize and extend our knowledge on porcine T cells. Thereafter, it not only reflects on previous biomedical T-cell research but also extends into areas in which more in-depth T-cell analyses could strongly benefit biomedical research. While the former should inform on the successes of biomedical T-cell research in swine, the latter shall inspire swine T-cell researchers to find collaborations with researchers working in other areas - such as nutrition, allergy, cancer, transplantation, infectious diseases, or vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Käser
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, 27607 Raleigh, NC, USA.
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Amaral AF, Rahman KS, Kick AR, Cortes LM, Robertson J, Kaltenboeck B, Gerdts V, O’Connell CM, Poston TB, Zheng X, Liu C, Omesi SY, Darville T, Käser T. Mucosal Vaccination with UV-Inactivated Chlamydia suis in Pre-Exposed Outbred Pigs Decreases Pathogen Load and Induces CD4 T-Cell Maturation into IFN-γ + Effector Memory Cells. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8030353. [PMID: 32630694 PMCID: PMC7564508 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8030353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infections are the most frequent bacterial sexually transmitted disease, and they can lead to ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Despite these detrimental long-term sequelae, a vaccine is not available. Success in preclinical animal studies is essential for vaccines to move to human clinical trials. Pigs are the natural host to Chlamydia suis (Cs)-a chlamydia species closely related to Ct, and are susceptible to Ct, making them a valuable animal model for Ct vaccine development. Before making it onto market, Ct vaccine candidates must show efficacy in a high-risk human population. The high prevalence of human Ct infection combined with the fact that natural infection does not result in sterilizing immunity, results in people at risk likely having been pre-exposed, and thus having some level of underlying non-protective immunity. Like human Ct, Cs is highly prevalent in outbred pigs. Therefore, the goal of this study was to model a trial in pre-exposed humans, and to determine the immunogenicity and efficacy of intranasal Cs vaccination in pre-exposed outbred pigs. The vaccine candidates consisted of UV-inactivated Cs particles in the presence or absence of an adjuvant (TriAdj). In this study, both groups of vaccinated pigs had a lower Cs burden compared to the non-vaccinated group; especially the TriAdj group induced the differentiation of CD4+ cells into tissue-trafficking CCR7- IFN-γ-producing effector memory T cells. These results indicate that Cs vaccination of pre-exposed pigs effectively boosts a non-protective immune response induced by natural infection; moreover, they suggest that a similar approach could be applied to human vaccine trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda F. Amaral
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; (A.F.A.); (A.R.K.); (L.M.C.)
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Khondaker S. Rahman
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA; (K.S.R.); (B.K.)
| | - Andrew R. Kick
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; (A.F.A.); (A.R.K.); (L.M.C.)
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Lizette M. Cortes
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; (A.F.A.); (A.R.K.); (L.M.C.)
| | - James Robertson
- College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA;
| | - Bernhard Kaltenboeck
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA; (K.S.R.); (B.K.)
| | - Volker Gerdts
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization—International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada;
| | - Catherine M. O’Connell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.M.O.); (T.B.P.); (X.Z.); (S.Y.O.); (T.D.)
| | - Taylor B. Poston
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.M.O.); (T.B.P.); (X.Z.); (S.Y.O.); (T.D.)
| | - Xiaojing Zheng
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.M.O.); (T.B.P.); (X.Z.); (S.Y.O.); (T.D.)
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;
| | - Chuwen Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;
| | - Sam Y. Omesi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.M.O.); (T.B.P.); (X.Z.); (S.Y.O.); (T.D.)
| | - Toni Darville
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (C.M.O.); (T.B.P.); (X.Z.); (S.Y.O.); (T.D.)
| | - Tobias Käser
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; (A.F.A.); (A.R.K.); (L.M.C.)
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-919-513-6352
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Hamonic G, Pasternak JA, Forsberg NM, Käser T, Wilson HL. Expression of pattern recognition receptors in porcine uterine epithelial cells in vivo and in culture. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2018; 202:1-10. [PMID: 30078581 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Preservation of a pathogen free uterine environment is critical for maintaining healthy swine herds with high reproductive performance. Considering that uterine epithelial cells are the most numerous and thus likely point of cellular contact for pathogens in the uterus, we hypothesize that these cells may be critical for activating the immune system to clear uterine infections. Although uterine epithelial cells have not been well characterized in pigs, studies in several other species have shown that these cells express several pattern recognition receptors (PRR) and thus may act as sentinels for the uterine immune response. To characterize PRR expression in the porcine uterine epithelia, we used laser-capture microdissection to isolate epithelial cells lining the porcine uterus to quantify in vivo mRNA expression levels for select PRRs. As well, primary uterine epithelial cells (UECs) were isolated, cultured, polarized and PRR expression was quantified. Immunohistofluorescence and immunofluorescence were used to determine subcellular localization of TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9 in both uterine tissue and in polarized primary UECs. Finally, polarized primary UECs were stimulated with ligands for TLR3, TLR4, TLR9 and NOD2 to determine their functional innate immune response. Uterine epithelial cells (in vivo and in vitro) were shown to express TLR1-7, TLR9, NOD1, NOD2, NLRP3, NLRP6, NLRX1, RIG1, MDA5 and LGP2. Subcellular localization of in vivo and polarized primary UECs exhibited TLR3 and TLR9 localized to the apical cell surface whereas TLR4 was localized to the intracellular space. Polarized primary UECs stimulated with TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9 ligands showed induced secretion of IL-6, IL-13 and IL-10, respectively indicating that these receptors were functional. These results indicate that pig uterine epithelial cells are functional innate immune cells that may act as sentinels to protect against uterine infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn Hamonic
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) - International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E3, Canada; Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
| | - J Alex Pasternak
- Large Animal Clinical Sciences (LACS), Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
| | - Nikki M Forsberg
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) - International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E3, Canada.
| | - Tobias Käser
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA.
| | - Heather L Wilson
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) - International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E3, Canada; Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
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Chahota R, Ogawa H, Ohya K, Yamaguchi T, Everett KDE, Fukushi H. Involvement of multiple Chlamydia suis genotypes in porcine conjunctivitis. Transbound Emerg Dis 2017; 65:272-277. [PMID: 28345224 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydia suis has been detected in numerous disease conditions of pigs, particularly in eye infections. This study examined recurring conjunctivitis cases in five commercial pig farms in Japan. 40.5% of the cases were identified as Chlamydia positive using impression cytology of ocular smears and a genus-specific direct fluorescent antibody. C. suis was detected in 59.5% of the samples using PCR tests targeting 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ISR) and ompA gene. Genetic analysis of PCR amplicons revealed nine sequence variants of 16S-23S rRNA ISR and 20 sequence variants within ompA gene. Among C. suis-positive conjunctivitis cases, 36.4% showed concurrent infection with 2-4 varied ompA sequence types and 9.1% showed multiple 16S-23S rRNA ISR sequence types of C. suis. Multiple genotypes were found circulating in four of five farms. All 20 detected strains and 25 previously reported C. suis strains were grouped into four clusters. Japanese C. suis strains were closely related to American and European strains indicating wide distribution of these genetically variant strains. This study is the first to show multiple and genetically diverse C. suis strain associations in pig conjunctivitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Chahota
- Department of Applied Veterinary Science, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.,Department of Veterinary Microbiology, DGCN College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, CSK HPKV, Palampur, India
| | - H Ogawa
- Department of Applied Veterinary Science, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - K Ohya
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - T Yamaguchi
- The Avian Zoonosis Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | | | - H Fukushi
- Department of Applied Veterinary Science, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.,Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
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Chlamydia suis and Chlamydia trachomatis induce multifunctional CD4 T cells in pigs. Vaccine 2016; 35:91-100. [PMID: 27894718 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.11.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis infections are the most prominent bacterial sexually-transmitted disease world-wide and a lot of effort is put into the development of an effective vaccine. Pigs have been shown to be a valuable animal model for C. trachomatis vaccine development. The aim of this study was to decipher the T-cell-mediated immune response to chlamydial infections including C. trachomatis and C. suis, the chlamydia species naturally infecting pigs with a demonstrated zoonotic potential. Vaginal infection of pigs with C. suis and C. trachomatis lasted from 3 to 21days and intra-uterine infection was still present after 21days in 3 out of 5 C. suis- and 4 out of 5 C. trachomatis-inoculated animals and caused severe pathological changes. Humoral immune responses including neutralizing antibodies were found predominantly in response to C. suis starting at 14days post inoculation. The T-cell-mediated immune responses to C. trachomatis and C. suis-infections started at 7days post inoculation and consisted mainly of CD4+ T cells which were either IFN-γ single cytokine-producing or IFN-γ/TNF-α double cytokine-producing T-helper 1 cells. IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells were rare or completely absent. The T-cell-mediated immune responses were triggered by both homologous or heterologous re-stimulation indicating that cross-protection between the two chlamydia species is possible. Thus, having access to a working genital C. suis and C. trachomatis infection model, efficient monitoring of the host-pathogen interactions, and being able to accurately assess the responses to infection makes the pig an excellent animal model for vaccine development which also could bridge the gap to the clinical phase for C. trachomatis vaccine research.
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Hamonic G, Pasternak JA, Käser T, Meurens F, Wilson HL. Extended semen for artificial insemination in swine as a potential transmission mechanism for infectious Chlamydia suis. Theriogenology 2016; 86:949-956. [PMID: 27087534 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2016.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/12/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Although typically unnoticed, Chlamydia infections in swine have been shown to be both widespread and may impact production characteristics and reproductive performance in swine. Serum titers suggest Chlamydia infection within boar studs is common, and infected boars are known to shed chlamydia in their ejaculates. Although the transmission of viruses in chilled extended semen (ES) is well established, the inclusion of antibiotics in commercially available extender is generally believed to limit or preclude the transmission of infectious bacteria. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of ES used in artificial insemination to support transmission of the obligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia suis (C suis) under standard industry conditions. First, the effect of C suis on sperm quality during storage was assessed by flow cytometry. Only concentrations above 5 × 10(5) viable C suis/mL caused significant spermicidal effects which only became evident after 7 days of storage at 17 °C. No significant effect on acrosome reaction was observed using any chlamydial concentration. Next, an in vitro infection model of swine testicular fibroblast cells was established and used to evaluate the effect of chilled storage on C suis viability under variable conditions. Storage in Androhep ES reduced viability by 34.4% at a multiplicity of infection of 1.25, an effect which increased to 53.3% when the multiplicity of infection decreased to 0.1. Interestingly, storage in semen extender alone (SE) or ES with additional antibiotics had no effect on bacterial viability. To rule out a secondary effect on extender resulting from metabolically active sperm, C suis was stored in fresh and expended SE and again no significant effect on bacterial viability was observed. Fluorescent microscopy of C suis in ES shows an association between bacteria and the remaining gel fraction after storage suggesting that the apparent reduction of bacterial viability in the presence of semen is due to adherence to gel fraction. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that C suis remains viable and infectious during chilled storage and is globally unaffected by antibiotics in extender. Thus, ES used in artificial insemination may act as a viable transmission mechanism for C suis in swine.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Hamonic
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)-International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - J A Pasternak
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)-International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - T Käser
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)-International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - F Meurens
- LUNAM Université, Oniris, Nantes-Atlantic College of Veterinary Medicine and Food Sciences and Engineering, UMR BioEpAR, Nantes, France; INRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, Nantes, France
| | - H L Wilson
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)-International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
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Infection of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium with Chlamydia trachomatis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141754. [PMID: 26536616 PMCID: PMC4633144 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Little is known about the susceptibility of posterior segment tissues, particularly the human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE), to Chlamydia trachomatis. The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibility of infecting the hRPE with Chlamydia trachomatis, and to examine the infectivity of different Chlamydia trachomatis clinical isolates for hRPE cells and the hRPE cell response to the infection. METHODS Cultured hRPE and McCoy cells were inoculated with eight Chlamydia trachomatis (serovar E) clinical isolates at multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 2.0 or 0.3. To detect Chlamydia trachomatis, samples were stained immunohistochemically with anti-major outer membrane protein antibodies at 24h, 48h, and 72h postinoculation (PI). The changes in the expression of signaling molecules and proteins of cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix in hRPE cells were examined immunohistochemically. RESULTS All eight clinical isolates demonstrated ability to infect hRPE cells. At equal MOI of 0.3, the infectivity of Chlamydia trachomatis clinical isolates for RPE culture was found to be at least as high as that for McCoy cell culture. At 24h PI, the percentage of inclusion-containing cells varied from 1.5 ± 0.52 to 14.6 ± 3.3% in hRPE cell culture infected at MOI of 2.0 against 0.37 ± 0.34 to 8.9 ± 0.2% in McCoy cell culture infected at MOI of 0.3. Collagen type I, collagen type IV, basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta and interleukin-8 expression at 48h PI were maximally increased, by 2.1-, 1.3-, 1.5-, 1.5- and 1.6-fold, respectively, in the Chlamydia trachomatis-infected compared with control hRPE cell culture specimens (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study, for the first time, proved the possibility of infecting hRPE cultured cells with Chlamydia trachomatis, which leads to proproliferative and proinflammatory changes in the expression of signaling molecules and extracellular matrix components.
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