Testicular damage by microcirculatory disruption and colonization of an immune-privileged site during Borrelia crocidurae infection

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
A Shamaei-TousiS Bergström

Abstract

The agent of African relapsing fever, Borrelia crocidurae, causes reversible multiple organ damage. We hypothesize that this damage is caused when the spirochete forms aggregate with erythrocytes in vivo, creating rosettes that plug the microcirculatory system. To test this hypothesis, we compared testicular microcirculation over an extended time period in two groups of rats: one experimentally inoculated with B. crocidurae, the other with the nonerythrocyte rosette-forming Borrelia hermsii. In the B. crocidurae group, erythrocyte rosettes formed during spiro-chetemia blocked precapillary blood vessels and reduced the normal pattern of microcirculatory blood flow. After spirochetemia, erythrocyte rosettes disappeared and flow was normalized. Decreased blood flow and focal vascular damage with increased permeability and interstitial bleeding adjacent to the erythrocyte microemboli induced cell death in seminiferous tubules. Interestingly, we found that B. crocidurae could penetrate the tubules and remain in the testis long after the end of spirochetemia, suggesting that the testis can serve as a reservoir for this bacteria in subsequent relapses. The group infected with B. hermsii displayed normal testicular blood flow and vasom...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 25, 2003·Trends in Microbiology·Mikael RhenStaffan J Normark
Nov 4, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Betty P GuoSven Bergström
Jan 22, 2004·The Journal of Experimental Medicine·Wei Ma-KrupaCornelia M Weyand
Jul 23, 2009·Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases·Christer LarssonSven Bergström
Dec 23, 2006·Journal of Neuroimmunology·Marie AnderssonBetty P Guo
Jun 20, 2006·Microbes and Infection·Christer LarssonSven Bergström
Sep 17, 2013·Letters in Applied Microbiology·R Naresh, D J Hampson
Sep 13, 2006·FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology·Stanislas Rebaudet, Philippe Parola
May 24, 2011·The Journal of Immunology : Official Journal of the American Association of Immunologists·Diana LondoñoDiego Cadavid
Sep 7, 2001·The Journal of Immunology : Official Journal of the American Association of Immunologists·S E Connolly, J L Benach

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
light microscopy
Assay
PCR
electrophoresis
fluorescence microscopy

Software Mentioned

Perisoft

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