Evaluation of Ex Vivo Cultivation Potentials of Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania tropica ve Toxoplasma gondii Parasites in J774, Vero and HeLa Cell Lines

Three obligate intracellular protozoan parasite species, namely Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania tropica and Toxoplasma gondii, causative agents of Chagas disease, Leishmaniasis and toxoplasmosis, respectively, which are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality and reside in macrophage cells, affect more than half of the world's population in connection with socio-economic and geographical factors and also causes neglected parasitic diseases of increasing importance. This study aimed to evaluate the ex vivo cultivation potential of T.cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites in J774, Vero and HeLa cells and to reproduce in a short time and in large amounts without losing their virulence properties. Ex vivo experimental models were created by infecting J774, Vero and HeLa cell lines confluently produced in cell culture flasks with T.cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites. In ex vivo cultivation, one passage was applied for seven days and three times in a row. Cells removed from the surface after each passage were plated on eight-well chamber slides. Giemsa stained slides were prepared and infection rates were evaluated by light microscopic examination. At the end of the study, it was observed that all three cell lines could be infected with T.cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites, and infection rates increased in all cell lines after consecutive passages. As a result of ex vivo cultivation, the best cell lines from which T.cruzi and L.tropica strains grew, were J774, Vero and HeLa, and HeLa, J774 and Vero cell lines for T.gondii strain, respectively (p