食蟹猴疟原虫晚期卵囊、成孢子细胞与子孢子扫描电镜观察

本研究对实验感染食蟹猴疟原虫后9、10和14天的斯氏按蚊阳性蚊胃,进行扫描电镜观察。晚期(分化的)卵囊表面呈现凹凸不平皱褶。成孢子细胞体常呈圆球形或椭圆形,表面光滑,子孢子芽从其表面长出。子孢子体细长,稍弯曲,体表光滑;虫体前部较细,顶端稍平,后部稍粗,末端钝圆。本文对成孢子细胞不同发育阶段的形态予以较详细描述,对子孢子出囊方式做了初步讨论。     

鸡疟原虫孢子体超微结构的观察

埃及伊蚊感染鸡疟原虫（Plasmodium gallinaceum）18天后解剖,电镜下观察唾液腺内孢子体的形态。孢子体长7μm、宽0.8μm;复合膜由一层外膜、二层内膜及膜下微管组成。发达的膜下微管与孢子体重要的运动功能有关。细胞核约位于正中。胞质较均一,有时有空泡存在,胞质中有散在核糖体,未观察到内质网。孢子体有胞口。发达的棒状体及众多的微线体,可能与孢子体需侵入媒介唾液腺细胞、尔后再侵入鸟类宿主中胚层细胞有关。因而,任何作用于棒状体、微线体并导致其结构及功能变化的药物,都将影响甚至阻断孢子体对宿主细胞的入侵,这就为疟疾的药物预防提供重要理论依据。     

间日疟原虫卵囊内成孢子细胞与子孢子形成的超微结构观察

应用透射电镜观察间日疟原虫在大劣按蚊体内发育的卵囊内成孢子细胞及子孢子形成过程形态变化。疟原虫采自带有配子体的间日疟自愿者。蚊虫在感染后8天作解剖。本研究观察结果与前人所描述的柏氏疟原虫和鸣疟原虫的成孢子细胞与子孢子形成过程相似,即成孢子细胞形成开始于卵囊被膜下的周围出现液泡,而随着膜下液泡增大,逐渐向胞质延伸并联接成裂缝,使胞质再分裂而形成。子孢子周围的膜下微管分布不对称,其数目和排列型式,多数为:7+4、7+5、8+4和8+5,少数为10+1,与前人报告不同(10+1)。     

Identification and characterization of a new 34 kDa MORN motif-containing sporozoite surface-exposed protein,Cp-P34, unique to Cryptosporidium

Despite the public health impact of childhood diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium, effective drugs and vaccines against this parasite are unavailable. Efforts to identify vaccine targets have focused on critical externally exposed virulence factors expressed in the parasite s invasive stages. However, no single surface antigen has yet been found that can elicit a significant protective immune response and it is likely that pooling multiple immune targets will be necessary. Discovery of surface proteins on Cryptosporidium sporozoites is therefore vital to this effort to develop a multi-antigenic vaccine. In this study we applied a novel single-domain camelid antibody (VHH) selection method to identify immunogenic proteins expressed on the surface of Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites. By this approach, VHHs were identified that recognize two sporozoite surface-exposed antigens, the previously identified gp900 and an unrecognized immunogenic protein, Cp-P34. This Cp-P34 antigen, which contains multiple Membrane Occupation and Recognition Nexus (MORN) repeats, is found in excysted sporozoites as well as in the parasite s intracellular stages. Cp-P34 appears to accumulate inside the parasite and transiently appears on the surface of sporozoites to be shed in trails. Identical or nearly identical orthologs of Cp-P34 are found in the Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium tyzzeri genomes. Except for the conserved MORN motifs, the Cp-P34 gene shares no significant homology with genes of other protozoans and thus appears to be unique to Cryptosporidium spp. Cp-P34 elicits immune responses in naturally exposed alpacas and warrants further investigation as a potential vaccine candidate.     

Plasmodium vivax: impaired escape of Vk210 phenotype ookinetes from the midgut blood bolus of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis

The site in the midguts of Anopheles pseudopunctipennis where the development of Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein Vk210 phenotype is blocked was investigated, and compared to its development in An. albimanus. Ookinete development was similar in time and numbers within the blood meal bolus of both mosquito species. But, compared to An. pseudopunctipennis, a higher proportion of An. albimanus were infected (P=0.0001) with higher ookinete (P=0.0001) and oocyst numbers (P=0.0001) on their internal and external midgut surfaces, respectively. Ookinetes were located in the peritrophic matrix (PM), but neither inside epithelial cells nor on the haemocoelic midgut surface by transmission electron microscopy in 24h p.i.-An. pseudopunctipennis mosquito samples. In contrast, no parasites were detected in the PM of An. albimanus at this time point. These results suggest that P. vivax Vk210 ookinetes cannot escape from and are destroyed within the midgut lumen of An. pseudopunctipennis.     

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of three DNA vaccines encoding pre-erythrocytic- and erythrocytic-stage antigens of Plasmodium cynomolgi in rhesus monkeys

Although several malaria vaccine candidate antigens have been identified, the most suitable methods for their delivery are still being investigated. In this regard, direct immunization with DNA encoding these vaccine target antigens is an attractive alternative. Here, we have investigated the immune responses to DNA immunization with three major vaccine target antigens: the apical membrane antigen-1 and the 19-kDa C-terminal fragment of merozoite surface protein-1 from the erythrocytic stage, and the thrombospondin-related adhesive protein from the pre-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium cynomolgi in rhesus monkeys. Antigen-specific antibodies were developed in all the immunized monkeys and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from all immunized monkeys proliferated to different extents upon in vitro stimulation with the corresponding recombinant proteins. The immunized monkeys were challenged with P. cynomolgi sporozoites. All of the immunized animals developed infection but although there was no significant difference between the control and vaccinated animals in terms of pre-patent period, total duration of patency and primary peak parasitemia, the vaccinated animals had significantly lower secondary peak parasitemia than the control animals.     

Initiation of Plasmodium sporozoite motility by albumin is associated with induction of intracellular signalling

Malaria infection is initiated when a mosquito injects Plasmodium sporozoites into a mammalian host. Sporozoites exhibit gliding motility both in vitro and in vivo. This motility is associated with the secretion of at least two proteins, circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP). Both derive from micronemes, which are organelles that empty out of the apical end of the sporozoite. Sporozoite motility can be initiated in vitro by albumin added to the medium. To investigate how albumin functions in this process, we studied second messenger signalling within the sporozoite. Using pharmacological activators and inhibitors, we have concluded that gliding motility is initiated when albumin interacts with the surface of the sporozoite and that this leads to a signal transduction cascade within the sporozoite, including the elevation of intracellular cAMP, the modulation of sporozoite motility by Ca²⁺ and the release of microneme proteins.     

Plasmodium yoelii: Influence of immune modulators on the development of the liver stage

Plasmodium sporozoites suppress the respiratory burst and antigen presentation of Kupffer cells, which are regarded as the portal of invasion into hepatocytes. It is not known whether immune modulation of Kupffer cells can affect the liver stage. In the present study, we found that sporozoites inoculated into Wistar rats could be detected in the liver, spleen, and lung; however, most sporozoites were arrested in the liver. Sporozoites were captured by Kupffer cells lined with endothelial cells in the liver sinusoid before hepatocyte invasion. Pretreatment with TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) and TLR2 agonist BCG primarily activated Kupffer cells, inhibiting the sporozoite development into the exoerythrocytic form, whereas Kupffer cell antagonists dexamethasone and cyclophosphamide promoted development of the liver stage. Our data suggests that sporozoite development into its exoerythrocytic form may be associated with Kupffer cell functional status. Immune modulation of Kupffer cells could be a promising strategy to prevent malaria parasite infection.     

Single chain variable fragment antibodies selected by phage display against the sporozoite surface antigen S16 of Cryptosporidium parvum

Two human single chain variable fragment (scFv) libraries were used to select clones that bound to the surface glycoprotein S16 of Cryptosporidium parvum. Panning of the Tomlinson libraries I and J resulted in the isolation of nine distinct clones. Of the four clones which had full-length scFv, three contained stop codons. The remaining five clones were truncated, with four missing the heavy chain, and one missing most of the light chain. The full-length clones exhibited better binding to native C. parvum proteins and recombinant S16 than the truncated clones, with the exception of one truncated clone. None of the selected clones cross-reacted with Giardia lamblia, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus or another immunogenic target of C. parvum, P23. Clones expressed as the soluble scFv-gIIIp construct were able to detect C. parvum native proteins and sporozoites. Panning from naïve libraries was an useful method for isolation and identification of recombinant antibodies that have the potential for use in pathogen detection and immunotherapy.     

Both CP15 and CP25 are left as trails behind gliding sporozoites of Cryptosporidium parvum (Apicomplexa)

Abstract Sporozoites of Cryptosporidium parvum were examined after gliding upon glass microscope slides using monoclonal antibodies to the 15 and 25 kDa surface molecules and immunogold-silver enhancement. Both antibodies bound to surface antigen deposited as trails behind parasites, suggesting that both surface molecules are involved in substrate attachment.