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Investigation of the morphological diversity of the potentially zoonotic Trypanosoma copemani in quokkas and Gilbert's potoroos

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2015

JILL M. AUSTEN ,
SIMON A. REID ,
DERRICK R. ROBINSON ,
JAMES A. FRIEND ,
WILLIAM G. F. DITCHAM ,
PETER J. IRWIN  and
UNA RYAN
JILL M. AUSTEN
Affiliation:
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
SIMON A. REID
Affiliation:
School of Population Health Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Queensland Australia, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
DERRICK R. ROBINSON
Affiliation:
UMR-CNRS 5234, University of Bordeaux 2, 33076 Bordeaux, France
JAMES A. FRIEND
Affiliation:
Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, 120 Albany Highway, Albany, Western Australia 6330, Australia
WILLIAM G. F. DITCHAM
Affiliation:
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
PETER J. IRWIN
Affiliation:
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
UNA RYAN*
Affiliation:
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
*
* Corresponding author: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

Trypanosomes are blood-borne parasites that can cause severe disease in both humans and animals, yet little is known of the pathogenicity and life-cycles of trypanosomes in native Australian mammals. Trypanosoma copemani is known to be infective to a variety of Australian marsupials and has recently been shown to be potentially zoonotic as it is resistant to normal human serum. In the present study, in vivo and in vitro examination of blood and cultures from Australian marsupials was conducted using light microscopy, immunofluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Promastigote, sphaeromastigote and amastigote life-cycle stages were detected in vivo and in vitro. Novel trypanosome-like stages were also detected both in vivo and in vitro representing an oval stage, an extremely thin stage, an adherent stage and a tiny round stage. The tiny round and adherent stages appeared to adhere to erythrocytes causing potential haematological damage with clinical effects similar to haemolytic anaemia. The present study shows for the first time that trypomastigotes are not the only life-cycle stages circulating within the blood stream of trypanosome infected Australian native marsupials and provides insights into possible pathogenic mechanisms of this potentially zoonotic trypanosome species.

Keywords

TrypanosomeT. copemanimarsupialSetonix brachyurusPotorous gilbertiinovel life-cycle stagespathogenesis
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 142 , Issue 11 , September 2015 , pp. 1443 - 1452
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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