Study on host parasite relationship between Mycobacterium lucknowense and Entamoeba (E. histolytica and E. invadens)

Abstract

Study of relationship between host and parasite is always very important to find out mode of infection, pathogenisity and transmission of any disease. Large number of parasites are known for infecting plants and animals. Members of genus Entamoeba are Sarcodine Protozoans. Entamoeba histolytica is parasite of primate mammals including man causing amoebic dysentery. Entamoeba invadence is parasite of cold blooded reptiles specially found in Python. Entamoeba is transmitted in encysted stage; the cyst formation facilitates the survival and spreading of the pathogen from one infected host to other healthy host. Entamoeba feeds upon starch grains, R.B.C. (Red blood cells), cells of mucosa of alimentary canal and bacteria. A number of bacteria are used as food by amoeba including Mycobacteria, the causative agent of tuberculosis, leprosy and other associated infections. On using mycobacteria as only source of food to entamoeba, it was observed that it feeds actively on some species of mycobacteria and grows normally but in presence of some other species of mycobacteria which forms toxic substances as metabolic by-products entamoeba stops feeding and fails to grow. Some species of mycobacteria form certain enzyme which inactivates the digestive enzymes secreted by the phagocyte in phagosome so bacillus remains unaffected in protoplasm of phagocytic cell or amoeba and divides normally in phagocytic cells. Mycobacterium lucknowense is a isolated from frog Rana tigerina is a acid fast, scotochromogenic, rapid growing bacilli, pathogenic to experimental animals causing tuberculosis and leprosy like symptoms. Studies on this bacillus were done to observe that (1) Dose Ent amoeba feeds on Mycobacterium lucknowense. (2) Is these mycobacteria is digested in food vacuole or divides normally. (3) Is cyst formation of en tam oeba is affected. The observations showed that Mycobacterium lucknowense actively eaten up by en tam oeba but was not digested in food vacuole, divides normally and encystment of en tam oeba is not favoured.