scholarly journals Molecular evidence for Toxoplasma gondii in the brain of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded along the Ligurian Sea coast of Italy

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donato Traversa ◽  
Angela Di Cesare ◽  
Cristina Casalone ◽  
Barbara Iulini ◽  
Walter Mignone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Sea Coast

scholarly journals Evidence for Unknown Sarcocystis-Like Infection in Stranded Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Ligurian Sea, Italy

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1201
Author(s):  
Federica Giorda ◽  
Umberto Romani-Cremaschi ◽  
Antoinette E. Marsh ◽  
Carla Grattarola ◽  
Barbara Iulini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neospora Caninum ◽  
Positive Staining ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
Sarcocystis Neurona ◽  
Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽  
Polyclonal Antisera ◽  
Ligurian Coast ◽  
Sarcocystis Falcatula ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Two striped dolphins (SD1, SD2), stranded along the Ligurian coast of Italy, were diagnosed with a nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis associated with previously undescribed protozoan tissue cysts. As tissue cysts were morphologically different from those of Toxoplasma gondii, additional histopathological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and biomolecular investigations were performed, aiming to fully characterize the organism. Histopathology revealed the presence of large Sarcocystis-like tissue cysts, associated with limited inflammatory lesions in all CNS areas studied. IHC was inconclusive, as positive staining with polyclonal antisera did not preclude cross-reaction with other Sarcocystidae coccidia. Applied to each animal, 11 different PCR protocols precluded a neural infection by Sarcocystis neurona, Sarcocystis falcatula, Hammondia hammondi, and Neospora caninum. T. gondii coinfection was confirmed only in dolphin SD2. Sarcocystis sp. sequences, showing the highest homology to species infecting the Bovidae family, were amplified from SD1 myocardium and SD2 skeletal muscle. The present study represents the first report of Sarcocystis-like tissue cysts in the brain of stranded cetaceans along with the first description of Sarcocystis sp. infection in muscle tissue of dolphins from the Mediterranean basin.

scholarly journals Cerebral Toxoplasmosis in Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) Stranded Along the Ligurian Sea Coast of Italy

2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Di Guardo ◽  
U. Proietto ◽  
C. E. Di Francesco ◽  
F. Marsilio ◽  
A. Zaccaroni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Toxoplasmosis ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽  
Sea Coast

Brain Parasites and Suicide

2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 424-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lester
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The Brain

In a sample of 20 European nations, the prevalence of the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii was positively associated with national suicide rates for men and women.

Insights into the molecular basis of host behaviour manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii infection

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 563-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Mehdi Hammoudi ◽  
Dominique Soldati-Favre
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii Infection ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Host Behaviour ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Brain Homeostasis

Typically illustrating the ‘manipulation hypothesis’, Toxoplasma gondii is widely known to trigger sustainable behavioural changes during chronic infection of intermediate hosts to enhance transmission to its feline definitive hosts, ensuring survival and dissemination. During the chronic stage of infection in rodents, a variety of neurological dysfunctions have been unravelled and correlated with the loss of cat fear, among other phenotypic impacts. However, the underlying neurological alteration(s) driving these behavioural modifications is only partially understood, which makes it difficult to draw more than a correlation between T. gondii infection and changes in brain homeostasis. Moreover, it is barely known which among the brain regions governing fear and stress responses are preferentially affected during T. gondii infection. Studies aiming at an in-depth dissection of underlying molecular mechanisms occurring at the host and parasite levels will be discussed in this review. Addressing this reminiscent topic in the light of recent technical progress and new discoveries regarding fear response, olfaction and neuromodulator mechanisms could contribute to a better understanding of this complex host–parasite interaction.

Food of striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, in the Ligurian Sea

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Würtz ◽  
D. Marrale
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽  
Striped Dolphin ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bony Fishes ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Ligurian Coast

The stomachsof 23 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba Meyen, 1833, Cetacea), stranded along the Ligurian coast (western Mediterranean Sea), contained 32 species of cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes, totalling an estimated 2,723 prey specimens representing about 36 kg in weight. Cephalopods and bony fishes were equally important in the diet (50%). Todarodes sagittatus (34.5%) and Micromesistius poutassou (25.9%) were found to be the most important food species. Other species belonging to six cephalopod families, three crustacean families and nine bony fish families, contributed to the diet with variable numbers, weights, and occurrences, demonstrating the opportunistic character of striped dolphin feeding.

scholarly journals Toxoplasma gondii injected neurons localize to the cortex and striatum and have altered firing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar A. Mendez ◽  
Emiliano Flores Machado ◽  
Jing Lu ◽  
Anita A. Koshy
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Latent Infection ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Medium Spiny Neurons ◽  
Patch Clamping ◽  
Spiny Neurons ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Mapping Program

AbstractToxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that causes a long-term latent infection of neurons. Using a custom MATLAB-based mapping program in combination with a mouse model that allows us to permanently mark neurons injected with parasite proteins, we found that Toxoplasma-injected neurons (TINs) are heterogeneously distributed in the brain, primarily localizing to the cortex followed by the striatum. Using immunofluorescence co-localization assays, we determined that cortical TINs are commonly (>50%) excitatory neurons (FoxP2+) and that striatal TINs are often (>65%) medium spiny neurons (MSNs) (FoxP2+). As MSNs have highly characterized electrophysiology, we used ex vivo slices from infected mice to perform single neuron patch-clamping on striatal TINs and neighboring uninfected MSNs (bystander MSNs). These studies demonstrated that TINs have highly abnormal electrophysiology, while the electrophysiology of bystander MSNs was akin to that of MSNs from uninfected mice. Collectively, these data offer new neuroanatomic and electrophysiologic insights into CNS toxoplasmosis.

scholarly journals Magnetic Base Station Deceptions, a magnetovariational analysis along the Ligurian Sea coast, Italy

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gambetta ◽  
E. Armadillo ◽  
C. Carmisciano ◽  
F. Caratori Tontini ◽  
E. Bozzo
Keyword(s):  
Base Station ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
Sea Coast

Microglia and macrophages as innate producers of interferon-gamma in the brain following infection with Toxoplasma gondii

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Suzuki ◽  
Jennifer Claflin ◽  
Xisheng Wang ◽  
Andrea Lengi ◽  
Takane Kikuchi
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Interferon Gamma ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Seropathological Diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii in Stray Cats in Baghdad Province

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-98
Author(s):  
Mohammed J. Alwan
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Alveolar Space ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Pathological Lesions ◽  
Stray Cats ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Adult Cat ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Local Necrosis

The current study was performed an investigation in seropositive stray cats with Toxoplasma gondii and to correlate the results of pathological lesions with seropositive results of the cats. To achieve these goals, fifty blood samples and specimens from internal organs (liver, spleen, brain, kidney, intestine and lung) of stray cats were collected from different area of Baghdad Province during the period 1.10.2011-1.10.2012. Seropositive ELISA-IgG was demonstrated that 66 % of stray cats while female expressed (75 %) of seropositive ELISA-IgG were higher than male (30% ) and animals with average age 2months showed high percentage of seropositive ELISA-IgG (100%) as compared with age (adult cat) that expressed( 63.82 %) of seropositive. There was a significant difference (P≤0.01) among positive cases to anti-Toxoplasma ELISA-IgG. Severe pathological lesions were noticed in the lungs ,livers and intestines of animals that expressed high (optical density) (OD) of anti-Toxoplasma IgG ,in addition ,tachyzoits intracytoplasm of alveolar macrophages and hepatocytes as well as free zoites in alveolar space of the lung, were reported. Local necrosis with tachyzoites was seen in the brain of the cats, in addition to mineralization. On bases of the presence of pathological lesions in cats that expressed seropositive anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, it can be conclude that T.gondii is responsible for the appearance of inflammatory reaction in the internal organs of cats and there is a correlation between seropositive and pathological lesions of T.gondii infection and this parasite is highly distributed in Baghdad stray cats and it may be an important cause of abortion in the women.

scholarly journals Molecular evidence for vaccine-induced canine distemper virus and canine adenovirus 2 coinfection in a fennec fox

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-603
Author(s):  
Kenichi Tamukai ◽  
Shohei Minami ◽  
Rio Kurihara ◽  
Hiroshi Shimoda ◽  
Ikki Mitsui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inclusion Bodies ◽  
Canine Distemper Virus ◽  
Neuronal Degeneration ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Intranuclear Inclusions ◽  
Canine Distemper ◽  
Live Virus ◽  
Bronchial Epithelial ◽  
Eosinophilic Inclusion ◽  
The Brain

A 61-d-old fennec fox ( Vulpes zerda), 11 d after receiving a multivalent, modified-live virus vaccine containing canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus 2 (CAdV-2), parainfluenza virus, parvovirus, and canine coronavirus, developed oculonasal discharge, and subsequently convulsions, and hemoptysis, and died. Microscopic changes in the cerebrum were evident, including neuronal degeneration and necrosis; intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies were observed in astrocytes. CDV was detected in the brain tissue by immunohistochemistry. Pulmonary lesions of multifocal necrotizing bronchopneumonia had Cowdry type A intranuclear inclusions in the bronchial epithelial cells. Electron microscopy revealed crystalline arrays of adenovirus-like particles within the intranuclear inclusions. Additionally, the hemagglutinin gene of CDV and the CAdV-2 DNA polymerase gene were detected in the fennec fox; sequence analysis showed 100% identity with those of the vaccine strain viruses. To our knowledge, vaccine-induced CDV and CAdV-2 coinfections using molecular analysis have not been reported previously. Therefore, vaccine strains should be considered prior to CDV vaccination in nondomestic carnivores.

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