Ultrastructural and antigenic characterization of a granulocytic ehrlichiosis agent directly isolated and stably cultivated from a patient in New York state.
A human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) agent with 16S rDNA sequence identical to the published sequence of HGE agents was isolated from a patient from New York State by inoculation of the blood leukocyte fraction directly into a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. The HGE agent was also isolated from the leukocyte fraction of the blood and bone marrow of a mouse inoculated with the leukocyte fraction of the patient's blood. The isolate has been passaged in tissue culture 30 times over 8 months. Electron microscopy revealed pleomorphic coccobacilli with a thin and highly rippled outer membrane in the clear inclusion matrix. Comparison of IFA reactivity of antisera obtained from a variety of sources with the cell-cultured HGE agent revealed that 3 HGE agent strains (New York isolate, Wisconsin [BDS] isolate, and a tick-derived isolate) are highly cross-reactive and there are diverse antigenic cross-reactivities between HGE agent and Ehrlichia chaffeensis.
Rikihisa
Y
Y
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210-1093, USA.
Zhi
N
N
Wormser
G P
GP
Wen
B
B
Horowitz
H W
HW
Hechemy
K E
KE
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018469:Ehrlichia chaffeensis / Q000276:immunology; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009518:New York; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S