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Aflagellar Epimastigote of Trypanosoma caninum: Biological and Ultrastructural Study of this Atypical Evolutionary Form

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Abstract

Purpose

Trypanosoma caninum exhibits atypical epimastigote forms under axenic conditions. This study aimed to analyze this evolutionary form under different cultivation conditions and provide more information about this evolutionary form.

Methods

We selected a T. caninum isolate with a high percentage of aflagellar epimastigote forms in axenic cultures. Two separate growth curves were generated for T. caninum cultured in Schneider axenic medium and co-cultured with the DH82 cell line, followed by analysis and quantification of evolutionary forms using bright field microscopy. In addition, ultrastructural analysis of T. caninum was performed under both cultivation conditions.

Results

The growth curves of T. caninum under axenic and co-cultivation conditions exhibited similar profiles. However, in the axenic culture, the number of parasites was three times higher at the peak of the exponential phase than in the co-culture. In contrast to that in the axenic culture, in which only the epimastigote forms were observed along the entire curve, during co-cultivation with the DH82 cell line, differentiation was observed for the trypomastigote and spheromastigote forms in low proportions. These results demonstrated that when cultured alone, the T. caninum isolate preserved the aflagellar epimastigote form, but in the presence of DH82 canine macrophages, they differentiated into evolutionary forms, particularly trypomastigote forms. Moreover, this study is the first to describe the presence of lipid bodies, structure described as the parasite's nutritional reserve, throughout the body of T. caninum.

Conclusions

These findings describe biological and ultrastructural aspects of epimastigote aflagellar and suggest that this evolutionary form may be involved in the biological cycle of T. caninum, still unknown.

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Acknowledgements

This research is part of the master’s dissertation in Parasite Biology of Kátia Cristina Silva Nascimento in the Program of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute/IOC/Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We thank the Rudolf Barth Electron Microscopy Platform of IOC/FIOCRUZ, Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos Laboratory of IOC/FIOCRUZ, Biologia Estrutural La-boratory IOC/FIOCRUZ, Pesquisa Clínica e Vigilância em Leishmanioses Laboratory of INI/FIOCRUZ, and Post-Graduate Program in Parasite Biology, IOC/FIOCRUZ.

Funding

CAPES.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Trypanosomatid Biology Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Kátia Cristina Silva Nascimento & Juliana Helena da Silva Barros

  2. Structural Biology Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Sandra Maria de Oliveira Souza & Suzana Corte-Real

  3. Clinical Research and Surveillance in Leishmaniasis Laboratory, Infectology National Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Aline Fagundes

  4. Rudolf Barth Electron Microscopy Platform, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Roger Magno Macedo Silva

  5. Celular Ultrastructure Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Francisco Odencio Rodrigues de Oliveira Junior

Authors
  1. Kátia Cristina Silva Nascimento
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  2. Sandra Maria de Oliveira Souza
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  3. Aline Fagundes
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  4. Roger Magno Macedo Silva
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  5. Francisco Odencio Rodrigues de Oliveira Junior
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  7. Juliana Helena da Silva Barros
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Contributions

Conceptualization. KCSN and JHSB; formal analysis, KCSN, SCRF and JHSB; funding acquisition, KCSN and JHSB; investigation, KCSN and JHSB; methodology, KCSN, SMSO, RMMS, AF, SCRF and JHSB; project administration and supervision, JHSB; writing-original draft KCSN; writing-review & editing, KCSN, SMSO, RMMS, AF, FOROJ, SCRF and JHSB All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Optional: please review the submission guidelines from the journal whether statements are mandatory.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juliana Helena da Silva Barros.

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Supplementary Information

Fig. suplementar 1 Photomicrography showing the morphology of DH82 line cell by brightfield microscopy stained of Giemsa (1000x).

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Nascimento, K.C.S., Souza, S.M.d., Fagundes, A. et al. Aflagellar Epimastigote of Trypanosoma caninum: Biological and Ultrastructural Study of this Atypical Evolutionary Form. Acta Parasit. 67, 912–920 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-022-00540-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-022-00540-6

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