Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii placental transmission in BALB/c mice model (original) (raw)
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Experimental Parasitology, 2006
Rats were immunized with cysts of two Toxoplasma strains or with RH strain tachyzoites prior to pregnancy. The litters of the 13 rats that received homologous challenges with cysts during pregnancy, were all protected, whereas of 173 rats that received heterologous challenges with cysts or oocysts, only 21 protected their litters. 38.3 and 17% of rats immunized with the RH and with complete strains respectively, and 57% of control rats challenged with cysts, transmitted the infection congenitally. The percentages when similar groups were challenged with oocysts, were 33.3, 48.2, and 56.2%, respectively. Immunization with cysts did not completely protect against challenge with oocysts, even if the same strain was used. The divergence of these results from the complete protection against congenital toxoplasmosis observed in immune women and ewes, might be due to the use of excessive challenge doses in the model.
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2017
Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that can infect any warm blood vertebrae, and if first trimester pregnant woman infected, it may cause abortion. The objective is to prove the effect of the Toxoplasma gondii concentration in anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels, and the outcomes of Balb/c mice pregnancies. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Balb/c mice with inclusion criteria, and was conditioned pregnant. The pathogen strains of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite injected intraperitoneally. The blood samples were taken serially to be tested for anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels. After the mice were injected with tachyzoite, they are assessed every day to observe their body weight, vaginal bleeding, and labor. Anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels examined using qualitative mouse IgG-IgM antibody ELISA KIT. Results: Anti-toxoplasma IgM antibody levels increased significantly after 24 hours of injection tachyzoites in...
The present investigation dealt with studying of T. gondii materno-fetal skill within rat progenies that were borne from acute and chronic experimentally infected pregnant dams. A total number of 108 pathogen and toxoplasma free Sprague-Dawley female rats were used. Ninety dams were used for experimental induced acute and chronic trials. Both acute and chronic infected rats were exposed to the three T. gondii strains; type I, II and III. ELISA IgM / IgG as well as, progesterone / estrogen assays were done parallel to female rats with their survived litters. The results revealed that type I possessed the higher percentage of fetal degeneration, while cystogenic II and III showed lower values. We can conclude that successful recognition of T. gondii materno-fetal transmission resulted in abortion and parasite survival.
Toxoplasma gondii: An improved rat model of congenital infection
Experimental Parasitology, 2008
The objective of this study was to refine the rat model of congenital toxoplasmosis. In Fischer rats we found that visualization of spermatozoa in vaginal exudates and the detection of at least 6 g body weight increase between days 9 and 12 of pregnancy, allowed the diagnosis and timing of pregnancy with 60% specificity and 84% sensitivity. A dose of 104Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites or 102T. gondii oocysts of the Prugniaud strain resulted in more than 50% of congenital infection of the rat litters. Transmission of T. gondii via lactation was not detected in rats inoculated with either bradyzoites or oocysts. Bioassays of 51 neonates born from mothers inoculated with bradyzoites (in tissue cysts) and 29 neonates from mothers inoculated with oocysts demonstrated that both liver and lungs can be used for the diagnosis of congenital transmission in this model.
2013
Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic pathogen. Vertical transmission of the parasite occurs when females were infected primarily during gestation. This parasite is transmitted to the fetus through the placenta and may cause miscarriage, permanent neurological damage, premature birth and visual impairment. It has been found that mouse is susceptible to Toxoplasma and is particularly an interesting model to the study of congenital infection but whether the entry of T. gondii through vagina route is involved in transmission of the parasite to the placenta and fetus or not. Objectives: The current study aimed to find a route of infection which perhaps carried the parasite under natural conditions in human. Materials and Methods: In the current experimental study, two 6-8 week NMRI female mice were crossed with one male. The pregnant mice were divided into 2 groups: experimental group that was infected by parasite via intra-vaginal (IV) and control group that received the same volume of normal saline via IV. One mouse from each group was killed on the fifth day after infection. The peritoneal fluid, ovary and uterus of mouse samples were taken and divided into two parts. One part used for DNA extraction and the other was kept in formalin and sent for histological study. These steps were repeated seven times and at least 10 mice in each group (case and control) were studied by molecular and histological methods. Results: PCR using DNA extracted from the experimental group showed that the parasite existed in tissues of the uterus and placenta but not in the embryos and peritoneal fluid. PCR using DNA extracted from the control group was negative. Conclusions: Tachyzoite of Toxoplasma and DNA of this parasite were observed in sub mucosa and muscles of the uterus and in the villis of placenta, but not in histological sections of the fetus. Therefore, histological and molecular results were consistent.
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2017
Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that can infect any warm blood vertebrae, and if first trimester pregnant woman infected, it may cause abortion. The objective is to prove the effect of the Toxoplasma gondii concentration in anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels, and the outcomes of Balb/c mice pregnancies. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Balb/c mice with inclusion criteria, and was conditioned pregnant. The pathogen strains of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite injected intraperitoneally. The blood samples were taken serially to be tested for anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels. After the mice were injected with tachyzoite, they are assessed every day to observe their body weight, vaginal bleeding, and labor. Anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels examined using qualitative mouse IgG-IgM antibody ELISA KIT. Results: Anti-toxoplasma IgM antibody levels increased significantly after 24 hours of injection tachyzoites in all dose groups, and remained high through day 21. Anti-toxoplasma antibody IgG levels increased significantly after 72 hours post injection and remained elevated until day 21. The incidence of abortion is 100% in mice which injected tachyzoite levels 1 × 10 3 and 1 × 10 4 , and the incidence of abortion approximately 2-4 days post injection. 100% of mice that were injected with tachyzoites 1 × 10 1 and 1 × 10 2 have labor at term. Physical anomaly was found in baby mice from mice that were injected with tachyzoite 1 × 10 2. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between the concentrations of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite with anti-toxoplasma IgG-IgM antibody levels,
Experimental Parasitology, 2009
Toxoplasmosis is one of the worldwide parasitic zoonoses. Alterations in the lymphopoietic system are still poorly studied. We analyzed lymphoid organs of BALB/c mice neonates from Toxoplasma gondii-intraperitoneally-infected mothers on 19th day of gestation, with 30 tachyzoites of strain RH. Normal noninfected pregnant females were used as controls. At 7 days after birth, animals were classified as neonates from infected (NIM) and neonates from non-infected mothers (NNIM). Weight of the thymus and number of thymic cells in NIM were decreased, percentage of apoptosis was significantly increased. Decrease in lymphocytes and monocytes and an increase of plasma cells were observed in bone marrow of NIM. Peripheral blood of NIM showed an increase of monocytes and neutrophils and a decrease in lymphocytes. Infection of the mother during the last day of gestation provokes in the neonates changes in the lymphoid organs that could explain survival of 75% of them.
Veterinary Parasitology, 2012
Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular protozoan parasite, is one of the major causes of infectious abortion in sheep. To further understand the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis, serum, amniotic and allantoic fluids and foetal stomach contents were collected from experimentally infected pregnant ewes to determine pathogen numbers and other markers of infection. Fifteen pregnant ewes (90 days of gestation) were each orally inoculated with 3000 sporulated oocysts of T. gondii. Serum samples were collected weekly following challenge. Amniotic and allantoic fluids and foetal stomach contents were collected at 21, 25, 28, 33 and 35 days post-infection. Characteristic placental lesions were detected in 1 of 4 challenged ewes at day 25, 3 of 4 challenged ewes at day 28 and in all challenged ewes at days 33 and 35 post-infection. T. gondii was detected only sporadically in amniotic and allantoic fluids before 35 days of infection, by real-time PCR, and only in ewes with placental lesions. At 35 days post-infection, high numbers of parasite were detected in both amniotic and allantoic fluids. An increase in the number of fluids from challenged animals with IgM and IgG was detected over time, except for IgG in allantoic fluid, which was detected in all samples from day 21 post-infection. IgG in amniotic and allantoic fluids was shown to be specific for T. gondii, and reacted with antigens with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 22 kDa and 30 kDa. Results suggest a maternal source of immunoglobulin in the allantoic fluid and a foetal source of immunoglobulin in the amniotic fluid early in infection but that both sources may contribute immunoglobulin to both fluids at a later stage.