title: Killing of Treponema denticola by mouse peritoneal macrophages.
abstract: Treponema denticola has been identified as an important cause of periodontal disease and hypothesized to be involved in extra-oral infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of T. denticola cell length and motility during mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro uptake. Macrophages, incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, produced a similar amount of TNF-alpha when stimulated with Escherichia coli LPS. The uptake of FlgE- and CfpA-deficient mutants of T. denticola was significantly increased compared with the wild-type strain, due to cell size or lack of motility. Opsonization with specific antibodies considerably improved the treponemes' uptake. These results suggest that macrophages, in addition to other phagocytes, could play an important role in the control of T. denticola infection, and that the raising of specific antibodies could improve the efficacy of the immune response toward T. denticola, either at an oral site or during dissemination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology and Oncology L. and A. Seragnoli, Section of Microbiology, University of Bologna, St. Orsola Hospital, 9 via G. Massarenti, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaibani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vocale
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ambretti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavrini
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Izard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miragliotta
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sambri
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000235:genetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology*; D048373:Treponema denticola / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007073:Immunoglobulin E