Entry and intracellular location of Mycoplasma hominis in Trichomonas vaginalis |
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Authors: | Ricardo Gomes Vancini Marlene Benchimol |
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Institution: | Universidade Santa Ursula, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
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Abstract: | The parasite Trichomonas vaginalis causes one of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infections in humans. The coexistence of different sexually
transmitted diseases in the same individual is very common, such as vaginal infections by T. vaginalis in association with Mycoplasma fermentans or Mycoplasma hominis. However, the consequences and behavior of mycoplasma during trichomonad infections are virtually unknown. This study was
undertaken to elucidate whether mycoplasmas enter and leave trichomonad cells and if so how. M. hominis was analyzed in different trichomonad isolates and the process of internalization and the pathway within the parasite was
studied. Parasites naturally and experimentally infected with mycoplasmas were used and transmission electron microscopy,
cytochemistry and PCR analyses were performed. The results show that: (1) M. hominis enters T. vaginalis cells by endocytosis; (2) some mycoplasmas use a terminal polar tip as anchor to the trichomonad plasma membrane; (3) some
trichomonad isolates are able to digest mycoplasmas, mainly when the trichomonads are experimentally infected; (4) some fresh
virulent isolates are able to maintain mycoplasmas as cohabitants in the cell’s interior; (5) some mycoplasmas are able to
escape from the vacuole to the trichomonad cytosol, and trichomonad plasma membrane budding suggested that mycoplasmas could
leave the parasite cell. |
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Keywords: | Trichomonas vaginalis Mycoplasmas Mycoplasma hominis |
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