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Biomedical subjects

D E Culberson

Publications and source records attributed to D E Culberson.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Intestinal trichomonads (Tritrichomonas mobilensis) in the natural host Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri boliviensis.

A retrospective study of cecal and colonic tissues from 28 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri boliviensis) demonstrated enteric trichomonads within luminal crypts. Twenty-one of 28 (75%) had trichomonads in the mucosal epithelium either in cup-like depressions or intraepithelial vacuoles. Organisms were also beneath the superficial luminal mucosal epithelium and between the basement membrane and crypt epithelial cells. Immunoperoxidase staining also identified organisms within the lamina propria and submucosa. Additional histologic changes included mucosal ulceration, multifocal cryptitis, and focal epithelial necrosis. Most areas containing trichomonads did not have an associated inflammatory response.

Animals

Intraprostatic spermatozoa.

Spermatozoa have not previously been described within the prostate gland. Nine of one hundred prostates of nonhospitalized males obtained from autopsy during the course of medicolegal death investigation were found to contain spermatozoa. The potential role of spermatozoa in the pathogenesis of corpora amylacea/calculi formation, granulomatous inflammation, local antigenic stimulation, and carcinogenesis is considered.

Adolescent

Pathogenicity of Tritrichomonas mobilensis: subcutaneous inoculation in mice.

The standard "subcutaneous mouse assay" was used to investigate the inherent pathogenicity of Tritrichomonas mobilensis, an intestinal parasite of squirrel monkeys. C57B1/6 mice given subcutaneous bilateral inocula of T. mobilensis died by day 4 postinoculation with lesions too small to be measured. Control mice similarly inoculated with pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of Trichomonas vaginalis survived the challenge and produced lesions on day 6 with mean volumes in agreement with previous reports. CD1 mice similarly inoculated with standard and double doses of trichomonads (T. mobilensis) again produced small lesions. CD1 mice inoculated at double dosage were moribund or dead on days 5 and 6, respectively, postinoculation. Necropsies were performed on dead and sacrificed mice. Tissues were obtained from internal organs for histology and culture. Unexpectedly, trichomonads were cultured from liver and lung of C57B1/6 mice at the standard level of inoculation and liver, lung, and spleen of CD1 mice at the higher level of inoculation. Although trichomonads are normally considered surface-dwelling noninvasive organisms, the penetration of trichomonads to deep tissues is not without precedent. Tritrichomonas foetus and Trichomonas gallinae are known to invade tissues of their respective hosts. Trichomonas vaginalis has been demonstrated in subepithelial areas of both the prostate gland and cervix of humans. The ability of several species of trichomonads to invade tissues and/or migrate to other sites in their hosts suggests a need for revision of the concept of trichomonads as strictly lumen or surface-dwelling parasites.

Animals

Subepithelial organisms in trichomonal cervicitis.

Trichomonas vaginalis is usually described as a surface-dwelling, noninvasive organism. Most studies of the pathogenicity of this organism have been derived from cytologic studies of uterine cervical epithelium. We employed specific immunoperoxidase techniques that allow the identification of organisms in cytologic and histologic specimens. In a case of trichomonal cervicitis these organisms were demonstrated both on the epithelial surface and in subepithelial tissues. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Female

Atrophy and proliferation in the young adult prostate.

Atrophic and proliferative changes in the prostate gland are regarded as beginning in middle age and characterizing the prostates of older men. A total of 51 prostates of men between 19 and 29 years old demonstrated a spectrum of proliferative abnormalities, including ductal and glandular hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia, dysplasia, carcinoma in situ and incipient adenocarcinoma. The majority of the prostates also contained substantial areas of atrophy. Patterns of atrophic change included cystic dilatation of glands with flattened epithelium apparently secondary to obstructive hyperplasia of ductal epithelium, areas comparable to sclerotic atrophy of the aged prostate and segments having the appearance of a prepubertal unstimulated prostate. These observations contrast sharply with conventional concepts of the biology of the prostate gland, and suggest a number of hypotheses regarding the early antecedents and evolution of prostatic carcinoma and cancer in general.

Adenocarcinoma

Experimental genital trichomoniasis in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus).

The squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) has been proposed as a model for urogenital trichomoniasis in man, but has not been accepted as such because of the purported presence of naturally occurring vaginal trichomonads in this animal. The study published here shows that these are easily eradicated organisms of intestinal origin, which eliminates the potential confusion created by them. In addition, our experiments have shown that the hormonal status of primates seems to be a determinant in successfully establishing experimental trichomoniasis. This experimental infection recapitulates the clinical observations sufficiently to warrant the use of this model for studies of vaginal trichomoniasis.

Animals

Tritrichomonas mobilensis n. sp. (Zoomastigophorea: Trichomonadida) from the Bolivian squirrel monkey Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis.

A trichomonad flagellate, Tritrichomonas mobilensis n. sp., is described from the large intestine of the squirrel monkey, Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis. The organism has a lanceolate body 7-10.5 micrometers in length; a well developed undulating membrane; a stout, tubular axostyle with periaxostylar rings that terminate in a cone-shaped segment projecting from the posterior end of the cell; and a moderately wide costa. The anterior flagella are about as long as the body, and the recurrent flagellum is of the acroneme type. All its characteristics suggest that the new species belongs in the Tritrichomonas augusta type of the subfamily Tritrichomonadinae.

Animals

Trichomonas vaginalis in the prostate gland.

Although the prostate gland is believed to serve as a parasite reservoir in trichomoniasis in men, and clinical association of trichomonads with prostatitis is common, there has been, to our knowledge, no unequivocal demonstration of Trichomonas vaginalis within the prostate gland. Using established immunoperoxidase procedures, we have positively identified trichomonads in the prostatic urethra, glandular lumina, submucosa, and stroma. Foci of nonspecific acute and chronic inflammation, as well as intraepithelial vacuolization, were associated with the infection. The finding of trichomonads within and beneath glandular epithelium necessitates reevaluation of the traditional view of T vaginalis as a strictly surface-dwelling organism.

Humans