Whirling Disease: Reviews and Current Topics

Detection of Glycoconjugates and Lectin-like Activities in the Causative Agent of Whirling Disease

Mansour El-Matbouli, Christiane Anders, Rudolf Hoffmann, Hans-Joachim Gabius, and Herbert Kaltner

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569377.ch5

ABSTRACT. Attachment of triactinomyxon spores of Myxobolus cerebralis to the epidermis of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) host and the migration of sporoplasm cells to their target tissues are the first steps in the development of whirling disease. Morphologically these processes are well-documented at the level of light and electron microscopy. In order to address the question of whether interactions of lectins and carbohydrate structures are involved in these processes, biotinlabelled Viscum album agglutinin (VAA) and the neoglycoprotein mannose-BSA (bovine serum albumin) biotin were used. These markers enabled the detection of galactoside-containing glycoconjugates and binding sites with specificity to D-mannose. VAA-reactive sites are distributed in all compartments of the triactinomyxon stages and in the polar capsules of M. cerebralis. Mannose- BSA shows weak to moderate binding to the polar capsules of the triactinomyxon spores. This indicates the presence of lectin-like activity, which may imply that a lectin is involved in the adhesion of the triactinomyxon spores to rainbow trout.