29.12.2013 Views

in vitro culture and isoenzyme analysis of giardia lamblia

in vitro culture and isoenzyme analysis of giardia lamblia

in vitro culture and isoenzyme analysis of giardia lamblia

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

propagat<strong>in</strong>g Giardia for subsequent <strong>in</strong> <strong>vitro</strong> isolation. They axenised five stra<strong>in</strong>s<br />

us<strong>in</strong>g this technique. Recently Mayrh<strong>of</strong>er <strong>and</strong> colleagues (1992) also used the<br />

suckl<strong>in</strong>g mice model for primary isolation <strong>of</strong> Giardia from faecal specimens <strong>and</strong> for<br />

the subsequent growth <strong>of</strong> the organisms to obta<strong>in</strong> sufficient material for genetic<br />

<strong>analysis</strong>. Their work revealed that natural <strong>in</strong>fections can be comprised <strong>of</strong> mixed<br />

genotypes. Isolation <strong>and</strong> purification can lead to selection <strong>of</strong> dist<strong>in</strong>ct genotypes by<br />

both <strong>in</strong> vivo <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>vitro</strong> techniques.<br />

Gerbils have also been used as excystation hosts <strong>in</strong> a study to characterise<br />

isolates retrieved from humans <strong>and</strong> animals <strong>in</strong> a waterborne outbreak <strong>of</strong> <strong>giardia</strong>sis<br />

(Isaac-Renton et al., 1993). In another study, gerbils were <strong>in</strong>oculated with Giardia<br />

<strong>lamblia</strong> cysts <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>fections were effected (8elosevic et al., 1983). In this model it<br />

was established that the pattern <strong>of</strong> cyst release <strong>and</strong> the number <strong>of</strong> trophozoites <strong>in</strong><br />

the <strong>in</strong>test<strong>in</strong>es <strong>of</strong> orally <strong>and</strong> duodenally <strong>in</strong>oculated gerbils were similar. Visvesvara<br />

et al. (1988) stated that <strong>of</strong> all the various animals used as hosts for G./amblia,<br />

consistently good results have been obta<strong>in</strong>ed only with suckl<strong>in</strong>g mice <strong>and</strong> gerbils.<br />

These workers studied the <strong>in</strong>fectivity patterns <strong>of</strong> Giardia cysts obta<strong>in</strong>ed from 10<br />

subjects (7 symptomatic <strong>and</strong> 3 asymptomatic) <strong>in</strong> gerbils. A strik<strong>in</strong>gly variable<br />

<strong>in</strong>fection pattern was reported. One <strong>of</strong> the ten human isolates (obta<strong>in</strong>ed from an<br />

asymptomatic person) tested for <strong>in</strong>fectivity <strong>in</strong> gerbils <strong>in</strong>fected all 12 animals<br />

<strong>in</strong>oculated. Of the n<strong>in</strong>e other isolates <strong>in</strong>oculated <strong>in</strong>to gerbils, 4 isolates (2 from<br />

asymptomatic carriers <strong>and</strong> 2 from symptomatic patients) failed to establish<br />

<strong>in</strong>fections <strong>in</strong> the animals while cysts from the other five patients produced<br />

<strong>in</strong>fections <strong>in</strong> 11 to 75% <strong>of</strong> the animals. These results clearly <strong>in</strong>dicated differences<br />

between human isolates <strong>of</strong> Giardia <strong>in</strong> their <strong>in</strong>nate ability to <strong>in</strong>fect gerbils.<br />

84

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!