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Imaging visceral leishmaniasis in real time with golden hamster model: Monitoring the parasite burden and hamster transcripts to further characterize the immunological responses of the host.
- Source :
-
Parasitology international [Parasitol Int] 2017 Feb; Vol. 66 (1), pp. 933-939. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Oct 26. - Publication Year :
- 2017
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Abstract
- Characterizing the clinical, immunological and parasitological features associated with visceral leishmaniasis is complex. It involves recording in real time and integrating quantitative multi-parametric data sets from parasite infected host tissues. Although several models have been used, hamsters are considered the bona fide experimental model for Leishmania donovani studies. To study visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters we generated virulent transgenic L. donovani that stably express a reporter luciferase protein. Two complementary methodologies were combined to follow the infectious process: in vivo imaging using luciferase-expressing Leishmania and real time RT-PCR to quantify both Leishmania and host transcripts. This approach allows us: i) to assess the clinical outcome of visceral leishmaniasis by individual monitoring of hamster weight, ii) to follow the parasite load in several organs by real time analysis of the bioluminescence in vivo and through real time quantitative PCR analysis of amastigote parasite transcript abundance ex vivo, iii) to evaluate the immunological responses triggered by the infection by quantifying hamster transcripts on the same samples and iv) to limit the number of hamsters selected for further analysis. The overall data highlight a correlation between the transcriptional cytokine signatures of hamster affected tissues and the amastigote burden fluctuations, thus providing new insights into the immunopathological process driven by L. donovani in the tissues of mammalian hosts. Finally, they suggest organ-specific immune responses.<br /> (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Cricetinae
Cytokines genetics
Cytokines immunology
Disease Models, Animal
Gene Expression Profiling
Leishmania donovani genetics
Leishmania donovani pathogenicity
Luciferases
Luminescent Measurements
Mesocricetus
Parasite Load
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Spleen parasitology
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Leishmania donovani immunology
Leishmania donovani physiology
Leishmaniasis, Visceral immunology
Leishmaniasis, Visceral parasitology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1873-0329
- Volume :
- 66
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Parasitology international
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 27794505
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2016.10.020