Summary
Serpulina pilosicoli is a newly identified pathogenic spirochete that establishes persistent colonie infections in human beings and animals. Macrophages are one of the key defenses against invasion of mucosal surfaces by bacterial pathogens. Macrophages engulf many bacteria by conventional phagocytosis; however recent studies indicate coiling phagocytosis as a new and important mechanism for internalization of Legionella pneumophila and spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, Leptospira, and Treponema. In this study, THP-1 human monocytic cells were incubated with the human S. pilosicoli strain SP16 and the contribution of coiling and conventional phagocytosis to the total number of phagocytic events were determined by sequential ultrastructural examination between 5 and 45 minutes. The frequency of phagocytosis increased over time from 5.1% after 5 minutes up to 21.9% after 45 minutes with greater than 70% of the events involving coiling phagocytosis. The data indicate that coiling phagocytosis may be a universal mechanism for uptake of pathogenic spirochetes.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Cirillo, J.D., Falkow, S., and Tompkins, L.S., 1994, Growth of Legionella pneumophila in Acanthamoeba castellanii enhances invasion. Infect. Immun. 62:3254–3261.
Duhamel, G.E., Muniappa, N., Mathiesen, M.R., Johnson, XL., Toth, I, Elder, R.O., and Doster, A.R., 1995, Certain canine weakly beta-hemolytic intestinal spirochetes are phenotypically and genotypically related to spirochetes associated with human and porcine intestinal spirochetosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:2211–2215.
Duhamel, G.E., 1997, Intestinal spirochaetes in non-production animals, In: Intestinal spirochaetosis in domestic animals and humans. Editors: Hampson, D.J. and Stanton, T.B., CAB International, Wallingford, UK, pp. 301–320.
Duhamel, G.E., Elder, R.O., Muniappa, N., Mathiesen, M.R., Wong, V.J., and Tarara, R.P., 1997, Colonic spirochetal infections in nonhuman primates that were associated with Brachyspira aalborgi, Serpulina pilosicoli, and unclassified flagellated bacteria. Clin. Infect. Dis. 25(Suppl. 2):S186–S188.
Duhamel, G.E., Trott, DJ., Muniappa, N., Mathiesen, M.R., Tarasiuk, K., Lee, J.I., and Hampson, DJ., 1998, Canine intestinal spirochetes consist of Serpulina pilosicoli and a newly identified group provisionally designated “Serpulina canis” sp. nov. J. Clin. Microbiol. 36:2264–2270.
Hampson, D.J., Robertson, I.D., Oxberry, S.L., and Pethick, D.W., 1998, Evaluation of vaccination and diet for the control of Serpulina pilosicoli infection (porcine intestinal spirochaetosis). Proc 15th International Pig Veterinary Society Conference 2:56.
Horwitz, M.A., 1983, The Legionnaires’ disease bacterium (Legionella pneumophila) inhibits phagosome-lysosome fusion in human monocytes. J. Exp. Med. 158:2108–2126.
Horwitz, M.A., 1984, Phagocytosis of the Legionnaires’ disease bacterium (Legionella pneumophila) occurs by a novel mechanism: Engulfment within a pseudopod coil. Cell 36:27–33.
Johnston, T., Duhamel, G.E., Mathiesen, M.R., Walter, D., Smart, N., and Dewey, C., 1998, Recent advances in diagnosis and control of porcine colonic spirochetosis caused by Serpulina pilosicoli. Comp. Cont. Educ, in press.
Muniappa, N., Duhamel, G.E., Mathiesen, M.R., and Bargar, T.W., 1996, Light microscopic and ultrastructural changes in the ceca of chicks inoculated with human and canine Serpulina pilosicoli. Vet. Pathol. 33:542–550.
Muniappa N. and Duhamel, G.E., 1997, Outer membrane-associated serine protease of intestinal spirochetes. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 154:159–164.
Muniappa, N., Mathiesen, M.R., and Duhamel, G.E., 1997, Laboratory identification and enteropathogenicity testing of Serpulina pilosicoli associated with porcine colonie spirochetosis. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 9:165–171.
Rittig, M.G., Krause, A., Haupl, T., Schaible, U.E., Modolell, M., Kramer, M.D., Lutjen-Drecoll, E., Simon, M.M., and Burmester, G.R., 1992, Coiling phagocytosis is the preferential phagocytic mechanism for Borrelia burgdorferi. Infect. Immun. 60:4205–4212.
Rittig, M.G., Jagoda, J.C., Wilske, B., Murgia, R., Cinco, M., Repp, R., Burmester, G.R., and Krause, A., 1998, Coiling phagocytosis discriminates between different spirochetes and is enhanced by phorbol myristate acetate and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Infect. Immun. 66:627–635.
Swayne, D.E. and McLaren, A.J., 1997, Avian intestinal spirochaetes and avian intestinal spirochaetosis, In: Intestinal spirochaetosis in domestic animals and humans, Editors: Hampson, DJ. and Stanton, T.B., CAB International, Wallingford, UK, p. 267–300.
Takeuchi, A., Jervis, H.R., Nakazawa, H., and Robinson, D.M., 1974, Spiral-shaped organisms on the surface colonie epithelium of the monkey and man. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 27:1287–1296.
Trivett-Moore, N.L., Gilbert, G.L., Law, C.L.H., Trott, DJ., and Hampson, DJ., 1998, Isolation of Serpulina pilosicoli from rectal biopsy specimens showing evidence of intestinal spirochetosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 36:261–265.
Trott, DJ., Stanton, T.B., Jensen, N.S., Duhamel, G.E., Johnson, XL., and Hampson, DJ., 1996, Serpulina pilosicoli sp. nov., the agent of porcine intestinal spirochetosis. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 46:206–215.
Trott, DJ., Jensen, N.S., Saint Girons, I., Oxberry, S.L., Stanton, T.B., Lindquist, D., and Hampson, DJ., 1997a, Identification and characterization of Serpulina pilosicoli isolates recovered from the blood of critically ill patients. J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:482–485.
Trott, DJ., Combs, B.G., Mikosza, A.S.J., Oxberry, S.L., Robertson, I.D., Passey, M., Taime, J., Sehuko, R., Alpers, M.P., and Hampson, DJ., 1997b, The prevalence of Serpulina pilosicoli in humans and domestic animals in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Epidemiol. Infect. 119:369–379.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cheng, X., Cirillo, J.D., Duhamel, G.E. (1999). Coiling Phagocytosis is the Predominant Mechanism for Uptake of the Colonic Spirochetosis Bacterium Serpulina Pilosicoli by Human Monocytes. In: Paul, P.S., Francis, D.H. (eds) Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Enteric Diseases 2. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 473. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4143-1_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4143-1_21
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6858-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4143-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive