title: Infection of organotypic slice cultures from rat central nervous tissue with Neospora caninum: an alternative approach to study host-parasite interactions.
abstract: Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite which has emerged as an important cause of bovine abortion worldwide. Abortion is usually triggered by reactivation of dormant bradyzoites during pregnancy and subsequent congenital infection of the foetus, where the central nervous system appears to be most frequently affected. We here report on an organotypic tissue culture model for Neospora infection which can be used to study certain aspects of the cerebral phase of neosporosis within the context of a three-dimensionally organised neuronal network. Organotypic slice cultures of rat cortical tissue were infected with N. caninum tachyzoites, and the kinetics of parasite proliferation, as well as the proliferation-inhibitory effect of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), were monitored by either immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, and a quantitative PCR-assay using the LightCycler instrument, respectively. In addition, the neuronal cytoskeletal elements, namely glial acidic protein filaments as well as actin microfilament bundles were shown to be largely colocalising with the pseudocyst periphery. This organotypic culture model for cerebral neosporosis provides a system, which is useful to study the proliferation, ultrastructural characteristics, development, and the interactions of N. caninum within the context of neuronal tissue, which at the same time can be modulated and influenced under controlled conditions, and will be useful in the future to gain more information on the cerebral phase of neosporosis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, University of Berne, Länggass-Strasse 122, 3012, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vonlaufen
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gianinazzi
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Björkman
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Jungi
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Leib
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hemphill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020807:Central Nervous System Parasitic Infections / Q000469:parasitology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D018688:Neospora / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009474:Neurons / Q000469:parasitology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D007371:Interferon-gamma