B. Polack et al., CULTIVATION OF RABBIT PNEUMOCYSTIS-CARINII ON CELLS DERIVED FROM RABBIT (ORYCTOLAGUS-CUNICULUS), The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology, 44(6), 1997, pp. 22-22
Cultivation of Pneumocystis carinii from rabbit onto cell monolayers w
as intended. Three cell types were used: rat lung derived cell line L2
and canine kidney derived cell line MDCK, and primary epithelial rabb
it lung cells derived from 20 days old foetuses. These primary cells w
ere also immortalized by transfection of the coding sequences for the
large and small T antigens of the SV40 virus. P. carinii were extracte
d from lungs of corticoid treated young rabbits and were purified on F
icoll. In vitro development of P. carinii was assessed by counting the
number of attached parasites on cells after staining. No development
was observed on 1.2 and MDCK cell lines. On the contrary, a developmen
t was observed on rabbit derived cells with a threefold increase of at
tached parasites on the third day of culture. Immortalized cells allow
ed also multiplication of attached P. carinii. These results are simil
ar to those obtained with culture of rodent P. carinii onto cell monol
ayers.