In vitro Cultivation and Purification of Treponema pallidum.

摘要

Studies utilizing both normal rabbit testes and ME 180human tumor-derived monolayer cells have shown that T. pallidum (1) attaches to and enters the monolayer cells within 30minutes, (2) attaches to cells by an active treponemal process, (3) persists in its virulent form within the cells during aerobic incubation at 35C for at least 96hours,and (4) is demonstrable within cells 9days after inoculation. This demonstration of apparent 'shedding'of T. pallidum from the monolayer cells into the medium and re-attachment or re-entry,points to the importance of controlling the toxic extracellular environment. Based upon the hypothesis that oxygen is the primary toxic factor in the tissue culture system,the use of various anti-oxidants is being explored. Preliminary studies suggested that T. pallidum can be separated from rabbit host testicular tissue utilizing a discontinuous Ficoll density gradient technique.