Interaction of Treponema pallidum with isolated rabbit capillary tissues.

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Abstract
After intact capillaries were prepared from rabbit brain tissue, treponemes were incubated with isolated capillaries and visualized by darkfield, phase contrast and scanning EM. The organisms rapidly attached to the surface of the capillaries at the tip of the treponeme; attached organisms retained motility longer than unattached organisms. T. pertenue also attached to capillaries. Heat-inactivated T. pallidum and 3 non-athogenic treponemes did not attach to the capillaries. Immune rabbit serum contains a factor that blocks the attachment of T. pallidum to capillaries. Compared with cultured mammalian cells, capillaries should provide a better tool for investigating host-parasite relationships in syphilis.