CULTIVATION OF RABBIT PNEUMOCYSTIS-CARINII ON CELLS DERIVED FROM RABBIT (ORYCTOLAGUS-CUNICULUS)

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.