Mechanisms of Parasite Survival: Trypanosoma musculi Kidney Forms

小行星9423188 肌肉锥虫是一种寄生在受感染小鼠血液中的原生动物。 它缺乏细胞内阶段，并在寄生虫（锥虫）从全身循环中清除后引起保护性免疫，以防止再感染。 无法检测到寄生虫，也没有活动性感染的证据。 然而，锥虫在外周血和其他组织中不再被发现后，仍然存在于肾脏的毛细血管（直血管）中。 这种宿主-寄生虫关系为研究免疫宿主中的潜伏感染提供了模型。 本项目旨在描述寄生虫在直血管中的精确位置。 它将描述它们的形态和生殖活动，它们在直血管条件下的相互作用，以及它们的生物化学和表面特征。 所获得的数据将表明这些肾脏形式是否代表锥虫生命周期中的一个独特阶段，并提供有关寄生虫在潜伏感染期间在免疫宿主中的持久性的见解。 ***

9423188 Dusanic Trypanosoma musculi is a protozoan parasite which resides in the bloodstream of the infected mouse. It lacks intracellular stages and provokes a protective immunity against reinfection after the parasites (trypanosomes) are cleared from the general circulation. Parasites can not be detected and there is no evidence of an active infection. However, trypanosomes persist in the capillaries (vasa recta) of the kidneys long after they can no longer be found in the peripheral blood and other tissues. This host-parasite relationship provides a model for studies of latent infections in immune hosts. This project is designed to describe the precise locations of the parasites in the vasa recta. It will describe their morphology and reproductive activities, their interactions under conditions in the vasa recta, and their biochemical and surface characteristics. The data obtained will indicate whether these kidney forms represent a unique stage in the trypanosome's life cycle and provide insights into the persistence of the parasites in the immune host during latent infections. ***