title: The attachment and entry of Leishmania (Leishmania) major into macrophages: observation by scanning electron microscope.
abstract: Leishmaniasis, a zoonotic protozoan disease, starts with the inoculation of the Leishmania promastigotes into the skin at the time of blood ingestion by a female sandfly. The infection of leishmaniasis is established when the Leishmania organisms start their own intracellular multiplication after having been phagocytized by the host's macrophages. In the earliest stage of the infection, therefore, the attachment of the promastigates to the macrophages is essential. We incubated a mixed culture of macrophages (JM774-1A) and Leishmania (Leishmania) major for 6 hours in vitro and observed the process of the attachment between the parasite and host cell by scanning electron microscope. We found for the first time that the attachment between the two occurred at the site of the parasite body, in addition to the previously reported sites of the flagellar tip, flagellar base, and aflagellar tip (posterior pole).
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Ryukyu University School of Medicine, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uezato
authors.forename: Hirotomo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kayo
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hagiwara
authors.forename: Abdul Manan
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bhutto
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katakura
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000502:physiology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning