Biochemical Basis of Virulence in Epidemic Typhus
Abstract
The avirulent, Madrid E, and virulent, Breinl, strains of Rickettsia prowazeki were compared with respect to their interaction with (a) mouse macrophage-like cell lines, (b) a human macrophage-like cell line, (c) mouse peritoneal macrophages and (d) guinea pig peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore, the fatty acid composition and plasmid DNA content of these strains were compared. The mouse macrophage-like cell lines and the guinea pig peritoneal macrophages could differentiate between the strains. The avirulent strain was eliminated and the virulent strain grew within the cytoplasm of these cells. The human macrophage-like cell line and the mouse peritoneal macrophages, on the other hand, could not distinguish between the two strains. Mouse macrophages destroyed both strain and both strains grew in the human macrophage-like cell line. The fatty acid composition of the two strains were compared. The hypothesis was that the high level of unsaturated fatty acid known to be in the avirulent strain might not occur in the virulent strain and that this might be a target for selective killing via lipid peroxidation. Our investigation established that the fatty acid composition was not different in the two strains.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA134377
Entities
People
- Herbert H. Winkler
Organizations
- University of South Alabama