Infection of bovine oviduct cell cultures with Chlamydophila abortus.
Bovine infertility is a major cause of loss in the livestock industry. In the present study bovine oviduct cell cultures were infected with a Chlamydophila abortus strain. A direct evaluation of infection was performed by means of May Grünwald-Giemsa and immunocytochemistry for chlamydial LPS, which revealed inclusion bodies and vacuolisation. SEM and TEM analysis of infected cells showed various degrees of cell damage and conglutination of microvilli. This finding suggests that cattle infertility may result from an alteration of oviduct environment caused by multiplication of C. abortus. This microorganism, among other infectious agents, could be considered a potential causative agent of bovine infertility.
Appino
Simonetta
S
Istituto di Patologia Generale, Anatomia Patologica e Clinica Ostetrico-Chirurgica Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy. simonetta.appino@unito.it
Pregel
Paola
P
Manuali
Elisabetta
E
Vincenti
Leila
L
Rota
Ada
A
Carnieletto
Paola
P
Tiberi
Cinzia
C
Bollo
Enrico
E
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D023501:Chlamydophila; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D007246:Infertility / Q000662:veterinary*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D010057:Oviducts / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology*
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides