Abstract
BackgroundTaylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, a sexually-transmitted infection of Equidae characterised in infected mares by abundant mucopurulent vaginal discharge and a variable degree of vaginitis, cervicitis or endometritis, usually resulting in temporary infertility. The second species of the Taylorella genus, Taylorella asinigenitalis, is considered non-pathogenic, although mares experimentally infected with this bacterium can develop clinical signs of endometritis. To date, little is understood about the basic molecular virulence and persistence mechanisms employed by the Taylorella species. To clarify these points, we investigated whether the host-pathogen interaction model Acanthamoeba castellanii was a suitable model for studying taylorellae.ResultsWe herein demonstrate that both species of the Taylorella genus are internalised by a mechanism involving the phagocytic capacity of the amoeba and are able to survive for at least one week inside the amoeba. During this one-week incubation period, taylorellae concentrations remain strikingly constant and no overt toxicity to amoeba cells was observed.ConclusionsThis study provides the first evidence of the capacity of taylorellae to survive in a natural environment other than the mammalian genital tract, and shows that the alternative infection model, A. castellanii, constitutes a relevant alternative system to assess host-pathogen interactions of taylorellae. The survival of taylorellae inside the potential environmental reservoir A. castellanii brings new insight, fostering a broader understanding of taylorellae biology and its potential natural ecological niche.
Highlights
Taylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, a sexually-transmitted infection of Equidae characterised in infected mares by abundant mucopurulent vaginal discharge and a variable degree of vaginitis, cervicitis or endometritis, usually resulting in temporary infertility
Evolution of taylorellae concentrations in co-culture with A. castellanii To characterise the capacity of T. equigenitalis and T. asinigenitalis to persist within the free-living amoeba A. castellanii, we performed A. castellanii-taylorellae co-cultures and determined the evolution of extracellular (Figure 1A) and amoeba-associated (Figure 1B) bacterial concentrations over time
The same evolution of T. equigenitalis and T. asinigenitalis concentrations was observed over the 7 days of co-culture with A. castellanii: the extracellular taylorellae concentrations decreased about one fold over the experiment period, while the amoeba-associated taylorellae concentrations remained strikingly constant throughout
Summary
Taylorella equigenitalis is the causative agent of contagious equine metritis, a sexually-transmitted infection of Equidae characterised in infected mares by abundant mucopurulent vaginal discharge and a variable degree of vaginitis, cervicitis or endometritis, usually resulting in temporary infertility. The second species of the Taylorella genus, Taylorella asinigenitalis, is considered non-pathogenic, mares experimentally infected with this bacterium can develop clinical signs of endometritis. Taylorella equigenitalis is a Gram-negative betaproteobacterium of the Alcaligenaceae family It is the causative agent of Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), notifiable disease. CEM is a highly contagious sexually-transmitted infection in horses that may lead to abundant mucopurulent vaginal discharge and variable degrees of vaginitis, endometritis and cervicitis [1], causing temporary infertility and occasional abortions have been reported [2]. We consider T. asinigenitalis a potential emerging pathogen that needs to be monitored
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
