Growth and effects of ureaplasmas (T mycoplasmas) in bovine oviductal organ cultures

In vitro systems for intercepting early embryo-maternal cross-talk in the bovine oviduct

A comprehensive understanding of the complex embryo-maternal interactions during the preimplantation period requires the analysis of very early stages of pregnancy. These are difficult to assess in vivo due to the small size of the embryo exerting local paracrine effects. Specifically designed experiments and holistic transcriptome and proteome analyses to address the early embryo-maternal cross-talk in the oviduct require sufficient numbers of well-defined cells in a standardized experimental environment. The pronounced estrous cycle-dependent changes in gene expression and morphology of bovine oviduct epithelial cells (BOECs) clearly show that a precise definition of the stage of estrous cycle is essential for obtaining a well-defined homogenous population of functional cells. The number of intact cells isolated from individual ampullae by solely mechanical means was 10-fold higher than previously reported cell yields after enzymatic treatment, and the purity was comparable. Bovine oviduct epithelial cells have been cultured as monolayers or in suspension. Proliferating cells grown in monolayers dedifferentiated, with a concomitant loss of important morphologic characteristics. After several days in culture, BOECs in monolayers are less likely to mimic the oviduct environment in vivo than BOEC vesicles formed of epithelial sheets in short-term suspension culture. A 24-h culture system for BOECs isolated on Day 3.5 of the estrous cycle showed excellent preservation of morphologic criteria, marker gene expression, and hormone responsiveness. The short-term BOEC culture system provides well-defined and functional BOECs in sufficient quantities for studies of early embryo-maternal interactions in experiments that mimic the environment in the oviduct in vivo.

Clastogenic effects of different Ureaplasma urealyticum serovars on human chromosomes

The possibility that Ureaplasma urealyticum might play an important role in human infertility was first raised more than 20 years ago, but this association remains speculative. Considering the hypothesis that the pathogenicity of Ureaplasma urealyticum may depend on its serotypes, the clastogenic effects of different strains of Ureaplasma urealyticum, at concentrations of 10(3) CCU (color changing units)/ml, 10(4) CCU/ml and 10(5) CCU/ml, were evaluated in vitro in short-term cultures of human lymphocytes. Total or partial mitotic inhibition was produced by Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes 2, 3 and 10 independent of the concentration (10(3) CCU/ml, 10(4) CCU/ml or 10(5) CCU/ml) of the microorganisms employed. In contrast, the clastogenic effects observed with serotypes 1, 7 and 12 varied according to the concentration employed in the test. Mitotic alterations were observed in Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12. Chromatid gaps (53.0%) and chromatid breaks (13.9%) were the most frequent types of alterations observed. The results of this in vitro assay demonstrated that the clastogenic effects varied with the Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes evaluated.

Ureaplasma diversum as a cause of reproductive disease in cattle

This article includes a brief review of the classification, habitat, and characteristics of the ureaplasmas, followed by a discussion of the pathogenesis, transmission, clinical syndromes, diagnosis, immunity, and treatment of Ureaplasma diversum infections in cattle.

Ureaplasma diversum infection in vitro alters prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2a production by bovine endometrial cells without affecting cell viability

Bovine epithelial and stromal cells of the endometrium were inoculated with Ureaplasma diversum, pathogenic strain 2312, at 10(6) or 10(3) color-changing units (ccu)/ml in the presence of 1% fetal bovine serum (depleted of steroids by dextran-charcoal treatment) to assess the effect of infection on prostaglandin biosynthesis. When the inoculum of U. diversum was 10(6) ccu/ml, the concentration of U. diversum in the culture medium decreased with time. U. diversum was found on the epithelial and stromal cell monolayers, increasing in titer 100-fold, indicating that attachment and eventually growth occurred. When the inoculum was 10(3) ccu/ml, the titer of U. diversum remained the same or increased in the supernatant and increased on epithelial and stromal cells. The effect of infection was evaluated by measurement of the primary prostaglandin produced by each cell type, prostaglandin F2a for epithelial cells and prostaglandin E2 for stromal cells. Infection with U. diversum significantly decreased prostaglandin F2a accumulation, by 44.7% +/- 6.0% at 10(6) ccu/ml (P < or = 0.005) and 15.8% +/- 5.3% at 10(3) ccu/ml (P < or = 0.05) in epithelial cells. Prostaglandin E2 accumulation by stromal cells was decreased by 34.0% +/- 4.0% at 10(6) ccu/ml (P < or = 0.001) and by 13.5% +/- 2.7% at 10(3) ccu/ml (P < or = 0.005). Infection with 10(6) ccu/ml did not alter endometrial cell viability, as shown by protein measurement, trypan blue dye exclusion, and cell plating efficiency tests. Thus, alterations in prostaglandin production were not due to cell deterioration. These observations suggest that U. diversum can alter prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2a patterns in primary cultures of bovine endometrial cells without affecting cell viability.

Effects of Ureaplasma diversum on bovine oviductal explants: quantitative measurement using a calmodulin assay

Calmodulin (CAM) acts as an intracellular regulator of calcium, an important mediator of many cell processes. We used the CAM assay and electron microscopy to investigate the effects of Ureaplasma diversum on bovine oviductal explants obtained aseptically from slaughtered cows. A stock suspension of U. diversum (treated specimens) and sterile broth (controls) was added to replicates of cultured explants and incubated at 38 degrees C in an atmosphere of 5.5% CO2 for 48 hours. Explants were examined for ciliary activity, extracellular CAM loss, and for histological and ultrastructural changes. Explants and their culture media were examined for changes in CAM concentration. All experiments were replicated three times. In addition, U. diversum, medium and broth were assayed for CAM content. The concentrations of CAM in explants and media changed significantly (p < 0.05) in samples which were inoculated with U. diversum when compared to controls. The controls and infected specimens did not differ histologically or ultrastructurally, but U. diversum was seen to be closely associated with infected explant tissue. In view of this close affinity it is assumed the loss of CAM from the oviductal cells was causally related, but this was not proven. The failure to show cell membrane injury on light and electron microscopic examination was probably related to the short duration of the experiment and may only point out the sensitivity of the CAM assay in detecting early cell membrane injury. Compromise in characteristics of the medium to support both, the viability of oviductal cells and U. diversum limited the experimental time to 48 hours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abnormalities of the tubular genital organs

Abnormalities of the tubular reproductive tract are responsible for decreased fertility in the cow. Typically, these are related to congenital defects such as segmental aplasia or to acquired conditions resulting from infections or trauma caused during breeding or parturition. Infection of the tubular tract may result in vaginitis, cervicitis, metritis, endometritis, pyometra, or salpingitis. Trauma to the tract may result in urovagina, pneumovagina, or prolapse of the vagina or uterus. Retained placenta may result in metritis. Potentially, all of these conditions, unless properly treated, may result in reduced fertility or, in the extreme, sterility. Judicial and properly timed use of antibiotics and ecbolic agents should return the tract to proper function with little or no reduction in fertility. Some conditions, such as prolapse, retained placenta, and pneumovagina, may call for manual or surgical intervention for successful resolution.

Effect of urogenital infections on sperm parameters and hypofertility in man

Urogenital infections can notably reduce the sperm's capacity of fecundation by affecting the spermatozoa directly. The aim of this study was to compare the main parameters of the spermogram of 2 groups of hypofertile subjects, the first group presenting negative semen cultures, the second one positive semen cultures. The only significantly different parameter between these 2 groups of hypofertile patients studied was motility. This anomaly alone could explain some states of hypofertility.

In vitro exposure of bovine morulae to Ureaplasma diversum

Ureaplasma diversum has been associated with infertility in the cow experimentally and in naturally occurring cases. However, the pathogenic mechanism is undetermined. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ureaplasmas are pathogenic for bovine morulae in vitro. Twenty-one morulae were recovered from three superovulated, mature, Holstein cows six or seven days postestrus. The embryos were divided into three groups (A,B,C) and incubated for 16 hours at 37 degrees C in humidified air with 10% CO2. Group A was incubated in embryo culture medium alone, Group B was incubated in culture medium with sterile ureaplasma broth added and Group C was incubated in culture medium containing 1.7 X 10(6) colony forming units Ureaplasma diversum strain 2312. After incubation, the morulae were examined using an electron microscope. Structures morphologically identical to U. diversum were present on the outer surface of the zonae pellucidae of all the morulae exposed to the organism and none were present on the unexposed control embryos. No other morphological differences were observed in either the ureaplasma-exposed embryos or the two groups of control embryos. Ureaplasma diversum was isolated from three of the five embryos incubated in culture medium with sterile ureaplasma broth added. These three embryos were recovered from one donor cow which cultured positive for U. diversum from the vulva and flush fluid. This finding suggests that the contaminating organisms entered the embryo culture wells either in the embryo collection medium or attached to the embryos.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ureaplasma infection of cell cultures

Studies were performed to characterize the effects of ureaplasmas in HeLa, 3T6, and CV-1 cell cultures. The ureaplasmas studied were human Ureaplasma urealyticum T960 (serotype VIII), bovine U. diversum T95, simian strain T167-2, ovine strain 1202, canine strain D1M-C, and feline strains 382 and FT2-B. FT2-B was the only ureaplasma to grow in the cell free culture medium, Dulbecco modified Eagle-Earle medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The growth pattern of the ureaplasmas varied in the different cell cultures, but each strain grew in at least two of the cell cultures, suggesting a requirement for a product of the cell culture and for low concentrations of urea. When growth occurred, organisms grew to concentrations that approached, but did not equal, those observed in 10B broth. Most, but not all, ureaplasmas grew quickly, reaching peak titers 2 days after infection. Canine strain D1M-C did not grow in 3T6, but showed rapid growth in HeLa and CV-1 cells, killing both cultures, In some systems, e.g., U. urealyticum T960 and simian strain T167-2, the infection persisted, and ureaplasmas could be recovered from cell cultures four passages after infection, when studies were terminated. The cell culture ureaplasmas grew on T agar, but not on mycoplasma agar medium.

Inhibition of the growth of Ureaplasma urealyticum by a new urease inhibitor, flurofamide

Flurofamide (N-[diaminophosphinyl]-4-fluorobenzamide), a urease inhibitor, was a potent inhibitor of the growth of Ureaplasma urealyticum. As little as 10 microM flurofamide (2 micrograms/ml) prevented any growth, but U. urealyticum survived for about eight hours before colony counts become undetectable. Flurofamide was a specific inhibitor of U. urealyticum since it did not inhibit growth of four Mycoplasma species or Acholeplasma hippikon. Flurofamide was 1,000 times more active than acetohydroxamic acid and thus has promise as a chemotherapeutic agent and a biochemical tool.

Experimental bovine genital ureaplasmosis. II. Granular vulvitis, endometritis and salpingitis following uterine inoculation

Twenty-three virgin Holstein heifers received uterine inoculations with ureaplasma and were necropsied one to thirteen days later. Three heifers inoculated intracervically were necropsied on days 3, 5 and 11.Granular vulvitis was produced on average by 3.6 days in fourteen of sixteen uterine inoculated heifers monitored for four or more days. Two cervically inoculated heifers monitored for over four days also developed granular vulvitis by the fourth day. At necropsy, ureaplasma was recovered from 94% of uterine horn cultures for the first four days postinoculation and 50% during days 5 to 7. Thereafter all uterine cultures were negative. The percentage of positive ureaplasma recoveries from uterine tube flushings was lower than for uterine horns but remained positive for a longer period. By day 7, three of four uterine tube flushings were still positive. No bacterial pathogens were isolated from the uterine horns or uterine tube flushings. On histopathology 50% of uterine inoculated heifers had endometritis up to six days postinoculation and a slightly higher percentage (58%) had salpingitis. Endometritis was not found in any heifers after day 6. Residual salpingitis was present in one heifer on day 7. Endometritis was present in cervically inoculated heifers necropsied on days 3 and 5 but not on day 11. Salpingitis was not found in any of the three cervically inoculated animals. The study concluded that some strains of ureaplasma are pathogenic for the upper reproductive tract of the cow and should be considered significant when isolated from cases of granular vulvitis, endometritis or salpingitis.

Pathogenicity of Mycoplasma pulmonis in ependymal organ culture

Ependymal organ culture was used as a model to study the effect of Mycoplasma pulmonis on the ciliated ependyma of the rat. Reduced ciliary activity or ciliostasis occurred 48 to 72 h after infection. Scanning electron microscopy showed that numerous organisms were associated with the cytoplasmic membrane of host cells beginning at 24 h, and transmission electron microscopy indicated that M. pulmonis cytadsorbs to the cell surface. Lesions observed in the organ cultures were limited to changes at the cell surface. These changes included reduction in microvilli density, matting of cilia into bundles, collapse of the cilia onto the cell surface, deciliation of the ependymal cells, and flattening of the cell surface. The results indicated that the response of the ependymal cell to M. pulmonis is similar to that which occurrs in Mycoplasma-infected tracheal and oviduct organ culture systems.

Growth and effect of chlamydiae in human and bovine oviduct organ cultures

Organ cultures of 10 Fallopian tubes were inoculated with a genital strain of Chlamydia trachomatis and seven were infected. Infection was enhanced by centrifuging the organisms on to the tissues, larger numbers of organisms being reisolated from the tissues after this procedure. There was evidence of chlamydial multiplication because the number of organisms which were recovered from the tissues three to five days after inoculation had increased. Recovery was rare, however, after the sixth day, thus suggesting a self-limiting infection. Organ cultures of two bovine oviducts were infected with the bovine abortion strain of Chlamydia psittaci, but in these experiments centrifugation of the inocula did not enhance infection. The organisms were found in both the tissue and medium of cultures up to 18 days after inoculation and in much greater numbers than in the C. trachomatis-infected Fallopian cultures. Chlamydial infection was not entirely host-tissue specific, because C. trachomatis organisms were isolated from bovine oviduct cultures. Inclusions, however, were not detected histologically or electron microscopically in the epithelium of C. trachomatis-infected cultures, but they were detected by these means in C. psittaci-infected bovine cultures. All the elements of the chlamydial growth cycle were seen by electron microscopy, organisms being found in ciliated and possibly non-ciliated cells, and shedding of some infected epithelial cells was observed. No evidence of extensive epithelial cell damage was observed, however, and no loss of ciliary activity was detected in cultures infected with either C. trachomatis or C. psittaci when compared with uninoculated cultures. Thus acute salpingitis, when caused by chlamydial infection, is probably immunologically mediated.

Significance of appropriate techniques and media for isolation and identification of Ureaplasma urealyticum from clinical specimens

Controversy over the association of Ureaplasma urealyticum with reproductive failure may be due to methods used to isolate the microorganism. U. urealyticum isolations from clinical material should be done simultaneously in broth and on Shepard's differential agar medium (A7) containing manganese sulfate. Urine sediments result in a 9% (P = 0.0002) higher rate of isolation than than cervical and urethral swabs. Primary isolations may not display standard textbook morphology. Isolated colonies may be present, but brown streaks in cervical mucus or a coalescent haze around epithelial cells in urine sediment may also be seen in areas of concentrated growth. The broth and agar media used, method of incubation, type of specimen, and method of storing specimens before culture are all factors which influence the recovery of U. urealyticum.

The mycoplasmas

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Isolation of Ureaplasma from bovine granular vulvitis

Cultures for mycoplasmatales, viruses and bacteria were made from bovine vulvar swabs to determine whether ureaplasma was associated with a clinical granular vulvitis observed in 16 Ontario dairy herds. Ureaplasma was isolated from 23.5% of 34 clinically normal cows, 74% of 27 cows with mild to moderate vulvar hyperemia but no discharge and 100% of 20 cows with acute vulvar hyperemia accompanied by purulent discharge. There were statistically significant differences in rates of isolation among clinical groups. Mycoplasma bovigenitalium was isolated from 7.7% and 20% of cows with moderate or acute vulvitis respectively but not from normal cows. Haemophilus somnus was isolated from 25% of cows with acute vulvitis. There were no significant differences in isolations of Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium pyogenes and alpha-hemolytic streptococcus between normal and clinically affected animals. Cultures of 135 repeat samples from 33 cows revealed that ureaplasma persisted in some animals for at least three months. No viruses were isolated from any of the animals in this study.

Differences in the attachment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells and membranes to tracheal epithelium

Hamster trachea organ cultures were exposed to isolated membranes of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, PI 1428. Attachment, monitored by the uptake of tritiated membranes, was relatively insensitive to neuraminidase pretreatment, unlike the attachment of viable cells. Membrane attachment was optimal when explants were incubated with 50 to 100 micrograms of membrane protein per ml in minimal essential medium broth while gently being rotated (1 rpm) in a roller apparatus for 90 to 120 min at 37 degrees C. Saturation of the receptor sites with viable cells failed to inhibit subsequent membrane attachment. Induction of squamous metaplasia by extended cultivation of tracheal explants in a vitamin A-free medium reduced the content of ciliated cells without significantly affecting total cell viability, but did not alter the attachment of M. pneumoniae membranes. Collectively, the data indicate that the mechanism of attachment of M. pneumoniae membranes to respiratory epithelium is distinct from the receptor site-mediated attachment of M. pneumoniae cells.

Antibiotics for elimination of mycoplasmas and ureaplasma from bovine semen

Minocin at 500 micrograms/ml of semen extender eliminated ureaplasma from naturally or artificially infected bovine semen. Minocin with lincospectin eliminated Acholeplasma laidlawii, Mycoplasma bovigenitalium, bovis, canadense, and arginini from artificially infected semen. Stabilization times of 15 min at 35 C and 3 h at 4 C are important considerations to maximize antibiotic activity.

Ureaplasmal epithelial lesions related to ammonia

The pathological effects of ureaplasmas on oviductal epithelium (ciliostasis and deciliation) were duplicated by adding ammonia to the medium as ammonium sulfate or by adding jack bean urease, which hydrolyzed the urea in the medium.