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Deactivation of Macrophages with Interleukin-4 Is the Key to the Isolation of Tropheryma whippelii

Schoedon, Gabriele ; Goldenberger, Daniel ; Forrer, Regula ; Gunz, Anja ; Dutly, Fabrizio ; Höchli, Mathias ; Altwegg, Martin ; Schaffner, Andreas

In: Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1997, vol. 176, no. 3, p. 672-677

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    Title
    • Deactivation of Macrophages with Interleukin-4 Is the Key to the Isolation of Tropheryma whippelii
    Author
    • Schoedon, Gabriele. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Goldenberger, Daniel. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Forrer, Regula. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Gunz, Anja. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Dutly, Fabrizio. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Höchli, Mathias. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Altwegg, Martin. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Schaffner, Andreas. Clinical Mycology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Zurich Medical School, Zurich, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1997, vol. 176, no. 3, p. 672-677. The University of Chicago Press
    Other Version
    Classification
    • Health
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:302067
    Summary
    Whipple's disease is a systemic illness caused by a specific agent. Despite recognition of bacteria in lesions, efforts to isolate the causative agent remained futile. A novel strategy was devised to culture Whipple bacilli in deactivated mononuclear phagocytes. Infected tissue was inoculated into human phagocytes deactivated with interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and dexamethasone. Within 8-10 days, diastase-resistant periodic acid-Schiff-positive inclusions appeared, corresponding to intact and degenerating bacteria shown to be Tropheryma whippelii by electron microscopy and molecular analyses. T. whippelii was passaged several times in deactivated monocytes and a monoblastic cell line. Time-kinetics growth studies and comparative polymerase chain reaction analysis documented multiplication of T. whippelii in deactivated macrophages. Complementary studies showed that IL-4 rendered phagocytes permissive for T. whippelii, a strong indication that host factors contribute to the pathogenesis of Whipple's disease. The propagation of T. whippelii will permit microbiologic, immunologic, seroepidemiologic, and therapeutic studies of this pathogen