Summary
Hamster tracheal organ cultures were infected with M. pneumoniae and examined sequentially by transmission and scanning electron microscopy to correlate surface with intracellular alterations. Infection was established by culture and the demonstration of morphologically compatible organisms on the mucosal surface. Ciliated epithelial cells developed vacuolization of the apical and subnuclear cytoplasm and eventually fragmented along planes formed by coalescing vacuoles. Non-ciliated cells showed apical swelling and loss of microvilli during the course of infection. After degeneration and sloughing of both ciliated and non-ciliated cells, a flattened layer of intact basal cells covered the submucosa. It is likely that progressive vacuolization of epithelial cells leads to exfoliation of both cells and cell fragments in M. pneumoniae infection. Since organisms frequently are associated with these exfoliated cells, their potential presence in sputum and lavage specimens could prove to be of diagnostic importance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asmundsson T, Kilburn KH, McKenzie WN (1973) Injury and metaplasia of airway cells due to SO2. Lab Invest 29:41–53
Basrur PK, Basrur VR (1976) Respiratory surface epithelium: Scanning electron microscopic technique for bioassay on inhalants. In: Scanning Electron Microscopy. IITRI 1976, Chicago, p 623
Biberfeld G, Biberfeld P (1970) Ultrastructural features of M. pneumoniae. J Bacteriol 102:855–861
Boatman ES, Sato S, Frank R (1974) Acute effects of ozone on cat lungs. Am Rev Respir Dis 110:157–169
Chanock RM (1965) Mycoplasma infections in man. N Engl J Med 273:1199–1206
Clyde WA (1973) Models of M. pneumoniae infection. J Infect Dis 127:S69–72
Collier AM (1972) Pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae infection as studied by human foetal trachea in organ culture. In: Pathogenic Mycoplasmas, Assoc Scientific Pub, Amsterdam, p 307
Collier AM, Baseman JB (1973) Organ culture techniques with mycoplasmas. Ann NY Acad Sci 225:277–289
Collier AM, Clyde WA (1971) Relationship between M. pneumoniae and human respiratory epithelium. Infec Immun 3:694–701
Collier AM, Clyde WA (1974) Appearance of M. pneumoniae in lungs of experimentally infected hamsters and sputa from patients with natural disease. Am Rev Respir Dis 110:765–773
Collier AM, Clyde WA, Denny FW (1969) Biologic effects of M. pneumoniae and other mycoplasmas from man on hamster tracheal organ culture. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 132:1153–1158
Collier AM, Clyde WA, Denny FW (1971) M. pneumoniae in hamster tracheal organ culture: Immunofluorescent and electron microscopic studies. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 136:569–573
Craighead JE (1975) Report of a workshop: Disease accentuation after immunization with inactivated microbial vaccines. J Infect Dis 131:749–753
Craighead JE (1968) Cytopathic effects of parainfluenza type 3 in organ cultures of human respiratory tract tissue. Am J Pathol 52:287–300
Dahlgren SE, Dalen H (1972) Ultrastructural observations of chemically induced inflammation in guinea pig trachea. Virchows Archiv [Cell Pathol] 11:211–223
Dejani AS, Clyde WA, Denny FW (1965) Experimental infection with M. pneumoniae (Eaton's agent). J Exp Med 121:1071–1086
Denny FW, Clyde WA, Glezen WP (1971) Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease: Clinical spectrum, pathophysiology, epidemiology and control. J Infect Dis 123:74–92
Fernald GW (1969) Aspects of experimental M. pneumoniae infection. J Infect Dis 119:255–266
Fernald GW (1972) In vitro response of human lymphocytes to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infec Immun 5:552–558
Fernald GW (1973) Role of host response in M. pneumoniae disease. J Infect Dis 127:55–58
Fernald GW, Glezen WP (1973) Humoral and cellular immune responses to an inactivated Mycoplasma pneumoniae vaccine in children. J Infect Dis 127:498–504
Hara K, Izumikawa K, Kinoshita I, Ota M, Ikebe A, Koike M, Hamada M (1974) Experimental infection with M. pneumoniae in young hamster: Location of ferritin-labeled antibody binding to infective tissue. Tohoku J Exp Med 114:315–337
Harris CC, Sporn MG, Kaufman DG, Smith JM, Baker MS, Saffiotti U (1971) Acute ultrastructural effects of benzo (a) pyrene and ferric oxide on the hamster tracheobronchial epithelium. Cancer Res 31:1977–1989
Hayflick L (1965) Tissue cultures and mycoplasmas. Tex Rep Biol Med 23:S285–303
Hu PC, Collier AM, Baseman JB (1975) Alterations in the metabolism of hamster tracheas in organ culture after infection with virulent M. pneumoniae. Infec Immun 11:704–710
Lippman RP, Clyde WA, Denny FW (1969) Characteristics of virulent, attenuated and avirulent M. pneumoniae strains. J Bacteriol 100:1037–1043
Mossman BT, Adler KB, Craighead JE (1978) Interaction of carbon particulates with tracheal epithelium in organ culture. Environ Res 16:110–122
Mossman BT, Craighead JE (1974) Topical application of polycyclic hydrocarbons to differentiated respiratory epithelium in organ culture. In: Experimental Lung Cancer. Carcinogenesis and Bio-Assays, Springer, Berlin, p 514
Mossman BT, Craighead JE (1975) Long-term maintenance of differentiated respiratory epithelium in organ cultures. I. Medium composition. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 149:227–233
Mossman BT, Kessler JB, Ley BW, Craighead JE (1977) Interaction of crocidolite asbestos with hamster respiratory mucosa in organ culture. Lab Invest 36:131–139
Muse KE, Collier AM, Baseman JB (1977) Scanning electron microscopic study of hamster tracheal organ cultures infected with Bordetella pertussis. J Infect Dis 136:768–777
Muse KE, Dwight AP, Collier AM (1976) M. pneumoniae in hamster tracheal organ culture studied by scanning electron microscopy. Infec Immun 13:229–237
Papanicolau GN (1956) Degenerative changes in ciliated cells exfoliating from bronchial epithelium as a cytologic criterion in diagnosis of diseases of the lung. NY State J Med 56:2647–2650
Powell DA, Hu PC, Wilson M, Collier AM, Baseman JB (1976) Attachment of M. pneumoniae to respiratory epithelium. Infect Immun 13:959–966
Reed SE, Boyde A (1972) Organ cultures of respiratory epithelium infected with rhinovirus or parainfluenza virus studied by a scanning electron microscope. Infec Immun 6:68–76
Smith CB, Friedewald WT, Chanock RM (1967) Inactivated Mycoplasma pneumoniae vaccine: evaluation in volunteers. JAMA 199:353–358
Wilson MH, Collier AM (1976) Ultrastructural study of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in organ culture. J Bacteriol 125:332–339
Woodruff KH (1973) Ultrastructural changes in hamster tracheal ring cultures exposed to M. pneumoniae. Am J Pathol 72:91–102
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murphy, G.F., Brody, A.R. & Craighead, J.E. Exfoliation of respiratory epithelium in hamster tracheal organ cultures infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae . Virchows Arch. A Path. Anat. and Histol. 389, 93–102 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428670
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00428670