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Testicular Damage by Microcirculatory Disruption and Colonization of an Immune-privileged Site during Borrelia crocidurae Infection ✪
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BibTeX
@MISC{Shamaei-tousi_testiculardamage,
author = {Alireza Shamaei-tousi and Ola Collin and Anders Bergh and Sven Bergström},
title = {Testicular Damage by Microcirculatory Disruption and Colonization of an Immune-privileged Site during Borrelia crocidurae Infection ✪},
year = {}
}
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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 spirochetemia 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 vasomotion at all selected time points, and suffered no testicular damage. These results confirmed our hypothesis that the erythrocyte rosettes produce vascular obstruction and are the main cause of histopathology seen in model animal and human infections. Key words: erythrocyte rosettes • laser Doppler flowmetry • testis • in vivo microscopy • hemorrhage
Keyphrases
testicular damage immune-privileged site microcirculatory disruption borrelia crocidurae infection reversible multiple organ damage seminiferous tubule microcirculatory blood flow spirochete form model animal vascular obstruction blood flow borrelia crocidurae microcirculatory system erythrocyte microemboli vivo microscopy hemorrhage doppler flowmetry testis normal testicular blood flow main cause erythrocyte rosette interstitial bleeding adjacent subsequent relapse focal vascular damage african relapsing fever precapillary blood vessel normal pattern human infection testicular microcirculation borrelia hermsii crocidurae group increased permeability cell death nonerythrocyte rosette key word extended time period time point
