Potentiation of Leishmania sp. macrophage phagocytosis in coinfection with Escherichia coli.

GAMARRA-LUQUES C, GARGIULO P, GÓMEZ L, POLO M, FERNÁNDEZ D, ARENAS N & SALOMÓN C

Mendoza

Congreso; XX Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo.; 2002

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

POTENTIATION OF Leishmania sp. MACROPHAGE PHAGOCYTOSIS IN COINFECTION WITH Escherichia coli. Gamarra-Luques C, Gargiulo P, Gómez L, Polo M, Fernández D, Arenas N & Salomón C. Área Biol. Celular y Molecular, UNCuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.  E-mail: csalomon@fcm.uncu.edu.ar A restricted number of macrophage receptors are known to mediate the internalisation of many kind of different particles.  Examples are Fcg, complement and mannose receptors.  Leishmania sp is the responsable agent of Leishmaniases disease. On the host side, Ig G macrophage receptor is considered to play a major role during amastigote´s infection, in addition to CR3 and mannose receptor.  We will study the cultured macrophage activation cells with E. coli in regarding parasite phagocytosis.  Leishmanias sp and Leishmanias sp - E. coli cultures were used for macrophage infection.  Percentage of J774 (mouse macrophage cell line) infection and vacuoles number by phagocyte, were studied after two, four and twenty hour culture under optical microscopy.  As a result we have 58% infected macrophages in the coinfection group and 21% in the other, after two-hour culture. More vacuoles were also counted, after twenty hours in the first group.  In conclusion, E. coli coinfection increases macrophage captation of Leishmania.  Other intracellular mechanisms are yet to be known involved with increased coinfection efficiency with E. coli as well as its medical perspectives.