{"doi":"10.1017/s0031182003003172","title":"Trans-species transfer of Wolbachia: microinjection of <i>Wolbachia</i> from <i>Litomosoides sigmodontis</i> into <i>Acanthocheilonema viteae</i>","abstract":"<jats:p>Intracellular bacteria of the genus <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> are found in most filarial nematodes, but are lacking in some species like <jats:italic>Acanthocheilonema viteae</jats:italic>. Due to their symbiotic nature and their role in the pathology of filarial infections they are considered to be potential targets for intervention against filarial infections in man. Infection of <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> (a species which does not naturally carry <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>) with <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> bacteria could allow comparative studies on the effect of the endobacterium on the parasite and on the host's immune systems. As a step towards such studies we microinjected adult female <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> with <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> obtained from <jats:italic>Litomosoides sigmodontis</jats:italic>. The bacteria were isolated from <jats:italic>L. sigmodontis</jats:italic> by density-gradient centrifugation, microinjected into <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> worms and bacterial DNA detected by PCR with <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> specific primers (ftsZ gene). Microinjected worms were cultured <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic>, and 81% survived for 10 days. Implantation of microinjected worms into <jats:italic>Meriones unguiculatus</jats:italic>, the rodent host of <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> resulted in 38% survival. The DNA of the microinjected worms recovered from jirds 8 weeks after implantation contained <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> DNA as shown by PCR, suggesting that <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> of <jats:italic>L. sigmodontis</jats:italic> can be horizontally transmitted to <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic>.</jats:p>","journal":"Parasitology","year":2003,"id":616433,"datarank":0.37273599746820013,"base_score":2.4849066497880004,"endowment":2.4849066497880004,"self_citation_contribution":0.37273599746820013,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.37273599746820013,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":11,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1589273,"name":"H. STUCKAS","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1589274,"name":"R. LUCIUS","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1589275,"name":"W. BLEIß","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1589276,"name":"F. THEURING","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1589277,"name":"B. H. KALINNA","orcid":null,"position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1589272,"name":"N. HARTMANN","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Trans-species transfer of Wolbachia: microinjection of <i>Wolbachia</i> from <i>Litomosoides sigmodontis</i> into <i>Acanthocheilonema viteae</i>","abstract":"<jats:p>Intracellular bacteria of the genus <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> are found in most filarial nematodes, but are lacking in some species like <jats:italic>Acanthocheilonema viteae</jats:italic>. Due to their symbiotic nature and their role in the pathology of filarial infections they are considered to be potential targets for intervention against filarial infections in man. Infection of <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> (a species which does not naturally carry <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic>) with <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> bacteria could allow comparative studies on the effect of the endobacterium on the parasite and on the host's immune systems. As a step towards such studies we microinjected adult female <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> with <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> obtained from <jats:italic>Litomosoides sigmodontis</jats:italic>. The bacteria were isolated from <jats:italic>L. sigmodontis</jats:italic> by density-gradient centrifugation, microinjected into <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> worms and bacterial DNA detected by PCR with <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> specific primers (ftsZ gene). Microinjected worms were cultured <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic>, and 81% survived for 10 days. Implantation of microinjected worms into <jats:italic>Meriones unguiculatus</jats:italic>, the rodent host of <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic> resulted in 38% survival. The DNA of the microinjected worms recovered from jirds 8 weeks after implantation contained <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> DNA as shown by PCR, suggesting that <jats:italic>Wolbachia</jats:italic> of <jats:italic>L. sigmodontis</jats:italic> can be horizontally transmitted to <jats:italic>A. viteae</jats:italic>.</jats:p>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":2.4849066497880004,"endowment":2.4849066497880004,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"12866789","pmcid":null,"openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W2218622607","authors":[],"funders":[],"total_grants":0,"fwci":1.7527,"citation_percentile":0.8459596,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[{"year":2012,"count":2},{"year":2014,"count":1},{"year":2016,"count":1}],"oa_status":"bronze","license":"https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/DD063AE3F1D9400DD43980106F63D1B6/S0031182003003172a.pdf/div-class-title-trans-species-transfer-of-wolbachia-microinjection-of-span-class-italic-wolbachia-span-from-span-class-italic-litomosoides-sigmodontis-span-into-span-class-italic-acanthocheilonema-viteae-span-div.pdf","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/DD063AE3F1D9400DD43980106F63D1B6/S0031182003003172a.pdf/div-class-title-trans-species-transfer-of-wolbachia-microinjection-of-span-class-italic-wolbachia-span-from-span-class-italic-litomosoides-sigmodontis-span-into-span-class-italic-acanthocheilonema-viteae-span-div.pdf","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0031182003003172","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182003003172","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12866789","host_type":"repository"}],"fields_of_study":["Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences","Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment"],"mesh_terms":["Animals","Dipetalonema","DNA, Bacterial","Filarioidea","Gerbillinae","Microinjections","Symbiosis","Polymerase Chain Reaction","DNA, Helminth","Wolbachia","Ornithodoros"],"keywords":["Wolbachia","Biology","Microbiology","Parasite hosting","Intracellular parasite","Filarioidea","Loa loa","Host (biology)","Bacteria","Filariasis","Immunology","Helminths","Genetics"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-02T22:52:35.892364Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}