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Chymotrypsin and neuraminidase treatment inhibits host cell invasion by Babesia divergens (Phylum Apicomplexa)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2003

A. ZINTL ,
C. WESTBROOK ,
H. E. SKERRETT ,
J. S. GRAY  and
G. MULCAHY
A. ZINTL
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Ireland
C. WESTBROOK
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Ireland Department of Environmental Resource Management, University College Dublin, Ireland
H. E. SKERRETT
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Ireland
J. S. GRAY
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Resource Management, University College Dublin, Ireland
G. MULCAHY
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, and Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Ireland
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Abstract

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The process of host cell invasion by Babesia divergens is poorly understood and improved knowledge of the mechanism involved could lead to development of measures effective in disease prevention. To investigate parasite ligands on the erythrocyte surface, B. divergens cultures in bovine erythrocytes were transferred into enzyme-treated bovine, human, ovine and equine erythrocytes. Parasite invasion of bovine erythrocytes was not affected by trypsin treatment while treatment with alpha-chymotrypsin led to a reduction in parasite growth of 20–40%. Treatment of bovine and non-bovine erythrocytes with neuraminidase decreased their susceptibility to invasion by up to 97% implicating sialic acid as an important erythrocyte ligand for babesia, but the addition of either bovine or human N-acetylneuraminyl-lactose to B. divergens cultures in bovine erythrocytes had no inhibitory effect.

Keywords

Babesia divergenstrypsinalpha-chymotrypsinneuraminidaseN-acetylneuraminyl-lactosesialic acid
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 125 , Issue 1 , July 2002 , pp. 45 - 50
Copyright
2002 Cambridge University Press