A pumpless and tubeless microfluidic device enables extended in vitro development of Cryptosporidium parvum

Samantha Gunasekera; Benjamin Thierry; Edward Cheah; Brendon King; Paul Monis; Jillian M Carr; Abha Chopra; Mark Watson; Mark O’Dea; Una Ryan

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofae625

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A pumpless and tubeless microfluidic device enables extended in vitro development of Cryptosporidium parvum

Journal article

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A pumpless and tubeless microfluidic device enables extended in vitro development of Cryptosporidium parvum

Samantha Gunasekera, Benjamin Thierry, Edward Cheah, Brendon King, Paul Monis, Jillian M Carr, Abha Chopra, Mark Watson, Mark O’Dea and Una Ryan

Open forum infectious diseases, Vol.11(11), ofae625

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofae625

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Abstract

Cryptosporidium

gut-on-chip

HCT-8 cells

fluid shear stress

in vitro

The enteric parasite Cryptosporidium remains a treatment challenge for drinking water utilities globally due to its resistance to chlorine disinfection. However, the lack of an in vitro culture system for Cryptosporidium that is both cost-effective and reliable remains a key bottleneck in Cryptosporidium research. Here we report that the microfluidic culture of HCT-8 cells under fluid shear stress enables the extended development of Cryptosporidium parvum. Specifically, the growth of C. parvum in a user-friendly pumpless microfluidic device was assessed using immunofluorescence assays, scanning electron microscopy and quantitative PCR, which revealed that development continued for ten days in total. Oocysts produced within the microfluidic device were infective to fresh HCT-8 monolayers, however these oocysts were only present at low levels. We anticipate that such microfluidic approaches will facilitate a wide range of in vitro studies on Cryptosporidium and may have the potential to be further developed as a routine infectivity assessment tool for the water industry.

Details

Title: A pumpless and tubeless microfluidic device enables extended in vitro development of Cryptosporidium parvum
Authors/Creators: Samantha Gunasekera - Murdoch University
Benjamin Thierry - University of South Australia
Edward Cheah - University of South Australia
Brendon King - South Australian Water Corporation
Paul Monis - South Australian Water Corporation
Jillian M Carr - Flinders University
Abha Chopra - Murdoch University
Mark Watson - Murdoch University
Mark O’Dea - Murdoch University
Una Ryan - Murdoch University
Publication Details: Open forum infectious diseases, Vol.11(11), ofae625
Publisher: Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Identifiers: 991005707116307891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Biosecurity and One Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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