Intravital microscopy: Imaging host-parasite interactions in the brain.

Cell Microbiol

Parasitology-Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany.

Published: May 2019

Intravital fluorescence microscopy (IVM) is a powerful technique for imaging multiple organs, including the brain of living mice and rats. It enables the direct visualisation of cells in situ providing a real-life view of biological processes that in vitro systems cannot. In addition, to the technological advances in microscopy over the last decade, there have been supporting innovations in data storage and analytical packages that enable the visualisation and analysis of large data sets. Here, we review the advantages and limitations of techniques predominantly used for brain IVM, including thinned skull windows, open skull cortical windows, and a miniaturised optical system based on microendoscopic probes that can be inserted into deep tissues. Further, we explore the relevance of these techniques for the field of parasitology. Several protozoan infections are associated with neurological symptoms including Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma spp., and Trypanosoma spp. IVM has led to crucial findings on these parasite species, which are discussed in detail in this review.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cmi.13024DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

intravital microscopy
4
microscopy imaging
4
imaging host-parasite
4
host-parasite interactions
4
interactions brain
4
brain intravital
4
intravital fluorescence
4
fluorescence microscopy
4
microscopy ivm
4
ivm powerful
4

Similar Publications

Clinical, Laboratory, and Trichoscopic Features of Pediatric Androgenetic Alopecia.

Cutis

December 2024

Drs. Lu, Du, Zhao, and Fan and Lingbo Bi, Chaofan Wang, and Yunbu Ding are from the Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, China. Yige Fan is from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Article Synopsis
  • The study reviewed 133 pediatric patients over 14 years to understand the prevalence and effects of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), with symptoms appearing as early as age 10.
  • Factors such as BMI, family history, comorbidities, and hair loss patterns were examined, revealing differences in trichoscopic outcomes between sexes and age groups.
  • The research emphasizes the need for personalized treatment plans for AGA in children, suggesting the use of topical minoxidil while ensuring close monitoring and encouraging adherence to medication and follow-ups for better results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This pilot study investigates distinctive features within the nail-enthesis complex among Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), Psoriasis (PSO), Rheumatoid Arthrit is (RA), and Healthy Control (HC) groups, utilizing a combined approach of ultrasound (US) and nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC). Clinical assessments and comprehensive US and NVC evaluations of the nail-enthesis complex were conducted on 72 subjects (18 PsA, 16 PSO, 19 RA, 19 HC). Unsupervised clustering models and factor analysis were employed to identify patterns and interrelationships between US and NVC parameters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In living organisms, the natural motion caused by heartbeat, breathing, or muscle movements leads to the deformation of tissue caused by translation and stretching of the tissue structure. This effect results in the displacement or deformation of the plane of observation for intravital microscopy and causes motion-induced aberrations of the resulting image data. This, in turn, places severe limitations on the time during which specific events can be observed in intravital imaging experiments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The genus Pelomyxa includes 15 species of anaerobic Archamoebae with remarkable diverse nucleoplasm morphology. Nuclear structures, like chromatin and nucleoli, of several members of the genus was previously identified only based on their ultrastructural similarity to typical structures of somatic cells of higher eukaryotes. Here, we explored an easy-to-use, one-step intravital staining method with DAPI and pyronin to distinguish between DNA and RNA structures in nuclei of unfixed cells of Pelomyxa belevskii and P.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is a parasite known for its diverse genotypic variants, or Discrete Typing Units (DTUs), which have been associated with varying degrees of tissue involvement. However, aspects such as parasite attachment remain unclear. It has been suggested that the TcI genotype is associated with cardiac infection, the most common involved site in chronic human infection, while TcII is associated with digestive tract involvement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!