title: Invasion and persistence of Mycoplasma bovis in embryonic calf turbinate cells.
abstract: Mycoplasma bovis is a wall-less bacterium causing bovine mycoplasmosis, a disease showing a broad range of clinical manifestations in cattle. It leads to enormous economic losses to the beef and dairy industries. Antibiotic treatments are not efficacious and currently no efficient vaccine is available. Moreover, mechanisms of pathogenicity of this bacterium are not clear, as few virulence attributes are known. Microscopic observations of necropsy material suggest the possibility of an intracellular stage of M. bovis. We used a combination of a gentamicin protection assay, a variety of chemical treatments to block mycoplasmas entry in eukaryotic cells, and fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the intracellular life of M. bovis in calf turbinate cells. Our findings indicate that M. bovis invades and persists in primary embryonic calf turbinate cells. Moreover, M. bovis can multiply within these cells. The intracellular phase of M. bovis may represent a protective niche for this pathogen and contribute to its escape from the host's immune defense as well as avoidance of antimicrobial agents.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. sibylle.buerki@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.|Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. sibylle.buerki@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Sibylle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bürki
authors.affiliation: Division of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. veronique.gaschen@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gaschen
authors.affiliation: Division of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. michael.stoffel@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Stoffel
authors.affiliation: Division of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. ana.stojiljkovic@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stojiljkovic
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. joachim.frey@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.affiliation: Division of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. kathrin.kuehni@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuehni-Boghenbor
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. paola.pilo@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pilo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000382:microbiology; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D045682:Mycoplasma bovis / Q000502:physiology*; D014420:Turbinates / Q000382:microbiology*