idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Leibniz Institute DSMZ provides bacterium from laboratory animal-free cultivation
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures has added the syphilis pathogen to its collection and makes it available to researchers around the world for scientific studies. Until now, the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum could only be propagated in laboratory animals, especially rabbits. Researchers from the United States have developed a method that enables the cultivation of the pathogen in cell culture. The DSMZ is one of two bioresource collections worldwide where the bacteria produced in this way are deposited.
Incubator cultivation
Since its isolation in 1912, the syphilis pathogen has only been multiplied in laboratory animals. An in vitro method for cultivating the bacteria was published by the team surrounding Prof. Dr. Steven J. Norris at the University of Texas in 2021. "The bacteria are grown on cottontail rabbit skin cells. This approach avoids the use of laboratory animals", explains microbiologist Dr. Sabine Gronow, head of the Pathogenic Bacteria working group at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ. "However, cultivating Treponema pallidum (DSM 117211) in a petri dish is extremely complicated. We are currently establishing the protocol developed by Professor Norris' group at the DSMZ." Until the DSMZ can propagate the bacterium itself, Prof. Norris' research group is making the bioresource available to the DSMZ for transfer to researchers. Sabine Gronow and her team are also supplying isolated DNA from the bacterium to researchers. This facilitates its use in diagnostics and research without the need for establishing complex cultivation methods.
The syphilis pathogen
The spiral-shaped bacterium T. pallidum subsp. pallidum has been identified as the pathogen causing the sexually transmitted disease syphilis for over 100 years. The World Health Organization estimates that around eight million people were infected with the pathogen in 2022. Syphilis is transmitted almost exclusively through sexual contact, where the bacterium usually exploits small injuries in the natural protective barriers of the skin and mucous membranes. The disease can be treated with antibiotics. "The possibility of cultivating this bacterium without the use of laboratory animals brings many advantages for science," adds Sabine Gronow. "The use of laboratory animals and the associated expense and suffering is eliminated. When cultivated in a petri dish, the bacterium is easier to access and therefore much easier to study. This enables researchers to investigate the infection behaviour of T. pallidum and also the development of new therapeutic approaches." To date, no so-called type strain of T. pallidum subsp. pallidum has been described; ideally, strain DSM 117211 will be used as such reference for researchers in the future.
Press contact:
PhDr. Sven-David Müller, Head of Public Relations, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH
Phone: ++49 (0)531/2616-300
Mail: press@dsmz.de
About the Leibniz Institute DSMZ
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures is the world's most diverse collection of biological resources (bacteria, archaea, protists, yeasts, fungi, bacteriophages, plant viruses, genomic bacterial DNA as well as human and animal cell lines). Microorganisms and cell cultures are collected, investigated and archived at the DSMZ. As an institution of the Leibniz Association, the DSMZ with its extensive scientific services and biological resources has been a global partner for research, science and industry since 1969. The DSMZ was the first registered collection in Europe (Regulation (EU) No. 511/2014) and is certified according to the quality standard ISO 9001:2015. As a patent depository, it offers the only possibility in Germany to deposit biological material in accordance with the requirements of the Budapest Treaty. In addition to scientific services, research is the second pillar of the DSMZ. The institute, located on the Science Campus Braunschweig-Süd, accommodates more than 90,000 bioresources and has almost 230 employees. www.dsmz.de
The Leibniz Association
The Leibniz Association connects 96 independent research institutions that range in focus from natural, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance. They conduct basic and applied research, including in the interdisciplinary Leibniz Research Alliances, maintain scientific infrastructure, and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer, particularly with the Leibniz research museums. It advises and informs policymakers, science, industry and the general public. Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities – including in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent, independent evaluation procedure. Because of their importance for the country as a whole, the Leibniz Association Institutes are funded jointly by Germany’s central and regional governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,300 people, including 12,200 researchers. The financial volume amounts to 2,2 billion euros. www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de
Electron micrograph of Treponema pallidum
CDC/Dr. David Cox (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TreponemaPallidum.jpg)
PD Dr. Sabine Gronow, head of the working group Pathogenic Bacteria at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ
DSMZ
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists, Scientists and scholars
Biology, Environment / ecology, Medicine, Zoology / agricultural and forest sciences
transregional, national
Research results, Transfer of Science or Research
English
Electron micrograph of Treponema pallidum
CDC/Dr. David Cox (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TreponemaPallidum.jpg)
PD Dr. Sabine Gronow, head of the working group Pathogenic Bacteria at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ
DSMZ
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
