Incorporation of exogenous uracil by Cryptosporidium parvum in vitro

Cultivation of parasites

Parasite cultivation techniques constitute a substantial segment of present-day study of parasites, especially of protozoa. Success in establishing in vitro and in vivo culture of parasites not only allows their physiology, behavior and metabolism to be studied dynamically, but also allows the nature of the antigenic molecules in the excretory and secretory products to be vigorously pursued and analyzed. The complex life-cycles of various parasites having different stages and host species requirements, particularly in the case of parasitic helminths, often make parasite cultivation an uphill assignment. Culturing of parasites depends on the combined expertise of all types of microbiological cultures. Different parasites require different cultivation conditions such as nutrients, temperature and even incubation conditions. Cultivation is an important method for diagnosis of many clinically important parasites, for example, Entamoeba histolytica, Trichomonas vaginalis, Leishmania spp., Strongyloides stercoralis and free-living amoebae. Many commercial systems like InPouch TV for T. vaginalis, microaerophilous stationary phase culture for Babesia bovis and Harada-Mori culture technique for larval-stage nematodes have been developed for the rapid diagnosis of the parasitic infections. Cultivation also has immense utility in the production of vaccines, testing vaccine efficacy, and antigen - production for obtaining serological reagents, detection of drug-resistance, screening of potential therapeutic agents and conducting epidemiological studies. Though in vitro cultivation techniques are used more often compared with in vivo techniques, the in vivo techniques are sometimes used for diagnosing some parasitic infections such as trypanosomiasis and toxoplasmosis. Parasite cultivation continues to be a challenging diagnostic option. This review provides an overview of intricacies of parasitic culture and update on popular methods used for cultivating parasites.

In vitro cultivation of cryptosporidium species

The in vitro cultivation of protozoan parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium has advanced significantly in recent years. These obligate, intracellular parasites colonize the epithelium of the digestive and respiratory tracts, are often difficult to obtain in significant numbers, produce durable oocysts that defy conventional chemical disinfection methods, and are persistently infectious when stored at refrigerated temperatures (4 to 8 degrees C). While continuous culture and efficient life cycle completion (oocyst production) have not yet been achieved in vitro, routine methods for parasite preparation and cell culture infection and assays for parasite life cycle development have been established. Parasite yields may be limited, but in vitro growth is sufficient to support a variety of research studies, including assessing potential drug therapies, evaluating oocyst disinfection methods, and characterizing life cycle stage development and differentiation.

Effects of select medium supplements on in vitro development of Cryptosporidium parvum in HCT-8 cells

Surface-sterilized oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum were applied to subconfluent monolayers of human adenocarcinoma (HCT-8) cells grown on coverslips in six-well cluster plates. Parasite-infected cultures were then incubated in RPMI 1640 with 10% fetal bovine serum, 15 mM HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffer, and antibiotics at 37 degrees C in a 5% CO2-95% air incubator for 2 h to allow sporozoites to excyst and enter cells. After cultures were washed free of debris, fresh cell culture media containing select supplements were added and cultures were reincubated. Parasite growth was assessed 66 h later by counting the number of parasite developmental stages in 25 random x 100 oil fields by Nomarski interference-contrast microscopy. Four vitamin supplements, calcium pantothenate, L-ascorbic acid, folic acid, and 4-(para)-aminobenzoic acid, each resulted in a significant increase in parasite numbers in vitro. The addition of insulin and the sugars glucose, galactose, and maltose also had a positive effect on parasite growth, although the effect was less pronounced than with any of the vitamins. Using the above information, we developed a supplemental medium formulation consisting of RPMI 1640 with 10% fetal bovine serum, 15 mM HEPES, 50 mM glucose, and 35 micrograms of ascorbic acid, 1.0 micrograms of folic acid, 4.0 micrograms of 4-aminobenzoic acid, 2.0 micrograms of calcium pantothenate, 0.1 U of insulin, 100 U of penicillin G, 100 micrograms of streptomycin, and 0.25 microgram of amphotericin B (Fungizone) per ml (pH 7.4). The growth of c. parvum in this medium was found to be enhanced approximately 10-fold compared with that in control medium without additional glucose, insulin, or vitamins.

Comparative development of Cryptosporidium parvum (Apicomplexa) in 11 continuous host cell lines

Using standardized media, incubation, and parasite inoculating procedures, we compared development of Cryptosporidium parvum between Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells and 10 additional host cell lines available through the American Type Culture Collection. Parasite development was assessed by counting parasite numbers atop monolayers in 25 random oil fields 68 h post-infection using Nomarski interference-contrast optics. Results revealed that the human ileocecal adenocarcinoma (HCT-8) cell line supported nearly twice the number of parasite developmental stages than MDBK cells or any of the other host cell types.

A simple and reliable method of producing in vitro infections of Cryptosporidium parvum (Apicomplexa)

A variety of techniques have been used to infect cell monolayers in culture with the protozoan, Cryptosporidium parvum. However, most of these methods rely on the use of trypsin and/or bile salts to excyst sporozoites in vitro, followed by washing sporozoites free of excystation solution prior to their addition to subconfluent monolayers. This method not only increases the amount of time required to establish infections in vitro, but also results in prolonged exposure of free sporozoites to environmental conditions. Here we report a simple, fast, and efficient method of obtaining consistent infections of C. parvum in cell monolayers. This technique relies on the ability of the parasite to excyst at 37 degrees C but not at room temperature following pretreatment with sodium hypochlorite. By adding surface-sterilized oocysts directly to monolayers, sporozoites have access to host cells immediately upon excystation.

A comparative study of lipid compositions of Cryptosporidium parvum (Apicomplexa) and Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells

Membrane lipid compositions of Cryptosporidium parvum and Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells, an epithelial-like cell line commonly used to study coccidia in vitro, were analyzed using both thin-layer chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography. Phosphatidylcholine was the predominant lipid in both C. parvum and Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells, comprising 65% and 41% of the total phospholipids, respectively. Phospholipids of C. parvum contained twice the level of 16:0 and twenty-fold more 18:2 than the Madin-Darby bovine kidney cell line. We suggest that the parasite may be capable of sequestering specific complex membrane lipids at concentrations greater than those in the host cells. This study constitutes the first report of the lipid composition of C. parvum.

Complete development of Cryptosporidium parvum in a human endometrial carcinoma cell line

Sporozoites of Cryptosporidium parvum, excysted from oocysts isolated from calves, were applied to monolayers of the human endometrial carcinoma cell line RL95-2. Cells were grown as monolayers in 24-well plates at concentrations ranging from 5 x 10(4) to 1 x 10(5) RL95-2 cells per well. At 1 or 7 days postculturing, C. parvum sporozoites (ranging from 1 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(5) were added to the monolayers of RL95-2 cells. The cells were fixed and stained to estimate the extent of parasite colonization. Light microscopy and electron microscopy confirmed the development and replication of C. parvum within the RL95-2 cells. A standardized and reproducible in vitro culture system for C. parvum is necessary to evaluate therapies against cryptosporidiosis.