Oocyst suspensions on Plate Count Agar (37uC, 1 week) and on Sabouraud plates (37uC, 1 week).Oocyst shedding assessmentTo evaluate the oocyst shedding over the course of Cryptosporidium infection, freshly excreted fecal pellets were collected three times a week. Each mouse was transferred into an individual clean cage during 30?0 min. Feces were placed into a microtube and weighted before addition and homogenization in sterile MilliQ water. The detection and quantification of the oocyst shedding were done by 1676428 immuno-magnetic separation (IMS) using Dynabeads anti-Cryptosporidium kit (Invitrogen, Cergy Pontoise, France) according to the supplier recommendation and as previously described [8,10]. The oocyst suspension was lay down on immunofluorescence slides, and labeled with a FITC conjugate anti-Cryptosporidium monoclonal antibody (Cellabs Pty.Ldt., Croissy-Beaubourg, France). Enumeration of oocysts was performed on the whole surface of each well at a magnification of 6400 and the number of parasites was expressed per gram of feces. Infectivity was expressed as the proportion of animals that became infected at each dose.Animal sourceCB17-SCID 6? week-old female mice were obtained from a colony bred and regularly controlled for assessing infections (including Helicobacter spp.) at the Pasteur Institute of Lille (France). Animals were maintained under aseptic conditions in an isolator during the whole experimentation as previously described [7,8,9,10]. Animal experiments were performed in the animal facility of the Pasteur Institute of Lille (research accreditation number, A59107). The experimental protocol 1317923 was approved by the French regional ethical committee (approval number CEEA 112011). Evaluation of aspects of animal’s condition was performed regularly to detect suffering. Clinical signs that could constitute an endpoint included, but were not limited to: rapid or progressive weight loss, debilitating diarrhea, rough hair coat, hunched posture, lethargy or any condition interfering with daily activities (e.g. eating or drinking, ambulation, or elimination).Histological analysis and immunohistochemistry Experimental designSCID mice were administered with 4 mg/L of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dex) (Merck, Lyon, France) via drinking water [7,11]. Dexamethasone administration started two weeks prior to oral inoculation with Cryptosporidium oocysts (see below) and was maintained during the whole experimentation. Dex-added water was replaced three times a week. Oocysts were inoculated to mice by oral-gastric gavage using 18?0 gauge feeding tubes. Each mouse was inoculated with 200 ml of PBS containing different amount of oocysts: 1, 10, 100 or 105. For each dose 4 to 8 mice were inoculated (group 1 to group 4). Negative control mice were inoculated with PBS (n = 4) or withPeriodically or when signs of imminent death appeared, mice were euthanatized by CO2 inhalation. Homatropine methobromide site Stomach and ileo-caecal ML 281 biological activity regions were removed from each mouse, fixed in 10 neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 5 mm thick were stained by hematoxylin-eosin (Leica Autostainer-XL, RueilMalmaison, France) or used for immunohistochemistry. Lesions at different sites were scored according to the “Nomenclature for Histologic Assessment of Intestinal Tumors in the Rodent”, and compared to the “Vienna classification” of the epithelial neoplasia of the gastrointestinal tract for humans”, as previously with slight modifications [8,10]. Briefly: 0, no lesion;.Oocyst suspensions on Plate Count Agar (37uC, 1 week) and on Sabouraud plates (37uC, 1 week).Oocyst shedding assessmentTo evaluate the oocyst shedding over the course of Cryptosporidium infection, freshly excreted fecal pellets were collected three times a week. Each mouse was transferred into an individual clean cage during 30?0 min. Feces were placed into a microtube and weighted before addition and homogenization in sterile MilliQ water. The detection and quantification of the oocyst shedding were done by 1676428 immuno-magnetic separation (IMS) using Dynabeads anti-Cryptosporidium kit (Invitrogen, Cergy Pontoise, France) according to the supplier recommendation and as previously described [8,10]. The oocyst suspension was lay down on immunofluorescence slides, and labeled with a FITC conjugate anti-Cryptosporidium monoclonal antibody (Cellabs Pty.Ldt., Croissy-Beaubourg, France). Enumeration of oocysts was performed on the whole surface of each well at a magnification of 6400 and the number of parasites was expressed per gram of feces. Infectivity was expressed as the proportion of animals that became infected at each dose.Animal sourceCB17-SCID 6? week-old female mice were obtained from a colony bred and regularly controlled for assessing infections (including Helicobacter spp.) at the Pasteur Institute of Lille (France). Animals were maintained under aseptic conditions in an isolator during the whole experimentation as previously described [7,8,9,10]. Animal experiments were performed in the animal facility of the Pasteur Institute of Lille (research accreditation number, A59107). The experimental protocol 1317923 was approved by the French regional ethical committee (approval number CEEA 112011). Evaluation of aspects of animal’s condition was performed regularly to detect suffering. Clinical signs that could constitute an endpoint included, but were not limited to: rapid or progressive weight loss, debilitating diarrhea, rough hair coat, hunched posture, lethargy or any condition interfering with daily activities (e.g. eating or drinking, ambulation, or elimination).Histological analysis and immunohistochemistry Experimental designSCID mice were administered with 4 mg/L of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (Dex) (Merck, Lyon, France) via drinking water [7,11]. Dexamethasone administration started two weeks prior to oral inoculation with Cryptosporidium oocysts (see below) and was maintained during the whole experimentation. Dex-added water was replaced three times a week. Oocysts were inoculated to mice by oral-gastric gavage using 18?0 gauge feeding tubes. Each mouse was inoculated with 200 ml of PBS containing different amount of oocysts: 1, 10, 100 or 105. For each dose 4 to 8 mice were inoculated (group 1 to group 4). Negative control mice were inoculated with PBS (n = 4) or withPeriodically or when signs of imminent death appeared, mice were euthanatized by CO2 inhalation. Stomach and ileo-caecal regions were removed from each mouse, fixed in 10 neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin. Sections of 5 mm thick were stained by hematoxylin-eosin (Leica Autostainer-XL, RueilMalmaison, France) or used for immunohistochemistry. Lesions at different sites were scored according to the “Nomenclature for Histologic Assessment of Intestinal Tumors in the Rodent”, and compared to the “Vienna classification” of the epithelial neoplasia of the gastrointestinal tract for humans”, as previously with slight modifications [8,10]. Briefly: 0, no lesion;.