OUTCOMES OF TRANSPLACENTAL TRANSMISSION OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII FROM CHRONICALLY INFECTED FEMALE RED RUFFED LEMURS (VARECIA RUBRA)

To study congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii during acute and chronic infections, 4 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were each fed 10000 oocysts of the VEG strain. Toxoplasma gondii was recovered from 33, 55, 83 and 57% of rats (F1) when dams were inoculated at 6, 9, 12 or 15 days of gestation, respectively. Progeny of 15 congenitally infected female rats were examined for T. gondii. Toxoplasma gondii was recovered from tissues of 1 of 155 rats (F2) born to congenitally infected dams. A total of 4 (F2) females were mated; 0 of 40 (F3) rats born to them were infected. None of the acutely infected 4 dams that had given birth to congenitally infected litters produced congenitally infected offspring during the second pregnancy. Thus, unlike mice, evidence for repeated congenital transmission of T. gondii in the rat was found in <1% of cases. Of the 16 congenitally T. gondii infected pups with demonstrable tissue cysts, 5 were seronegative (<1[ratio ]4) in the Sabin-Feldman dye test and 5 were seronegative (<1[ratio ]20) in the modified agglutination test by the use of whole formalinized tachyzoites and mercaptoethanol.

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Correlation between behavioral alterations and dopamine changes in mice experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Neuropsychological Trends ◽

10.7358/neur-2020-028-alna ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 39-57

Author(s):

Ahmed Ossamy Al-Namroty ◽

Raafat Mohamed Shaapan ◽

Amal Abdul-Rasheed El-Moamly ◽

Eman Moustafa Al-Hamshary

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Open Field ◽

Infected Animal ◽

Dopaminergic System ◽

Behavioral Alterations ◽

Infected Female ◽

Board Test ◽

Hole Board ◽

Hole Board Test ◽

The Brain

The mechanism of the parasite to induce alterations in host behavior is suggested due to changes in the dopaminergic system. This study aims to clarify the effects of latent toxoplasmosis on infected mice's behavior and to assess the dopamine neurotransmitter in their brains. Experimental infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and monitoring of behavioral alterations in mice using open field and hole-board tests were carried. Mice were sacrificed, then brains histo-pathologically and neuro-chemically assessed. Open field test revealed a decrease in locomotion in both infected mice genders, whereas the hole-board test displayed an increased level of exploration only by infected female mice. Significant changes in the dopamine concentration in the brain with regard to status of infection were detected. The results suggest an association between T. gondii infection and changes in the behavior. Neuromodulators may represent an ideal mechanism by which T. gondii, at least in part of the expression, can influence the behavior of the infected animal or even human host.

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First report on seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and goats in North Lebanon

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.11425 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (09) ◽

pp. 831-836 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dima El Safadi ◽

Dany Abi Chahine ◽

Alissar Al Tarraf ◽

Omar Raii ◽

Karim Mesto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Immunoglobulin G ◽

Agglutination Test ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Transplacental Transmission ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Modified Agglutination Test ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii Infection

Introduction: Toxoplasmosis is of dual importance in both public and veterinary health due to the respective risk of transplacental transmission in primo-infected pregnant women and economic losses caused by abortions in mammals. One of the main routes of Toxoplasma gondii transmission to humans is the consumption of raw or undercooked meats containing parasitic cysts. Here, we performed the first epidemiological study to determine the seroprevalence and the risk factors of toxoplasmosis in livestock in Lebanon. Methodology: Using a modified agglutination test with a cut-off of 1:40, we tested the positivity rate of Immunoglobulin G antibodies in the sera of 100 sheep and 80 goats collected from 18 different livestock farms located in North Lebanon between March and June 2018. Results: Anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies were detected in 42% of sheep and 34% of goats. Adults (> 1 year) were significantly more infected by T. gondii than the lambs (< 1 year) in both species (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings indicated that food animals are highly exposed to T. gondii in Lebanon and could be potentially a major risk factor of T. gondii infection to humans. Consequently, national prophylactic strategies should be implemented to control and to prevent T. gondii transmission between animals and humans.

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Experimental PorcineToxoplasma gondiiInfection as a Representative Model for Human Toxoplasmosis

Mediators of Inflammation ◽

10.1155/2017/3260289 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Julia Nau ◽

Silvia Kathrin Eller ◽

Johannes Wenning ◽

Katrin Henrike Spekker-Bosker ◽

Horst Schroten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Model ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Interferon Gamma ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Acute Infection ◽

The State ◽

Human Diseases ◽

Transplacental Transmission ◽

Severe Immunosuppression ◽

Representative Model

Porcine infections are currently not the state-of-the-art model to study human diseases. Nevertheless, the course of human and porcine toxoplasmosis is much more comparable than that of human and murine toxoplasmosis. For example, severity of infection, transplacental transmission, and interferon-gamma-induced antiparasitic effector mechanisms are similar in pigs and humans. In addition, the severe immunosuppression during acute infection described in mice does not occur in the experimentally infected ones. Thus, we hypothesise that porcineToxoplasma gondiiinfection data are more representative for human toxoplasmosis. We therefore suggest that the animal model chosen must be critically evaluated for its assignability to human diseases.

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Transplacental transmission of Neospora caninum in naturally infected small ruminants from northeastern Brazil

Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-736x2017000900004 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (9) ◽

pp. 921-925 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Annelise C.B.T. Nunes ◽

Elise M. Yamasaki ◽

Pomy C.P. Kim ◽

Renata P.B. Melo ◽

Müller Ribeiro-Andrade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Neospora Caninum ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Transplacental Transmission ◽

Caninum Infection ◽

Causative Agents ◽

History Of ◽

Different Tissues

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are causative agents of abortion in sheep and goats. Thus, the present study aimed to describe the transplacental transmission of these protozoans in small ruminants of northeastern Brazil. Seventeen fetuses (6 goats and 11 sheep) from farms with history of abortion were necropsied and samples were collected from different tissues (brain, liver, lung, kidney and heart). The samples were analyzed by PCR, histopathology (HP) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to evaluate whether T. gondii and/or N. caninum infection were the cause of abortion. None of the samples was positive for T. gondii according to PCR and IHC results. Some brain, liver, lung, kidney and heart samples of goat fetuses were positive for N. caninum by PCR. In the histopathology, mild mononuclear infiltration and necrosis with calcification were observed in the liver and brain of one goat fetus, respectively, that also was positive for N. caninum by PCR and IHC. The results confirmed vertical transmission of N. caninum in naturally infected goats of northeastern, Brazil.

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Molecular assessment of the transplacental transmission of Toxoplasma gondii , Neospora caninum , Brucella canis and Ehrlichia canis in dogs

Comparative Immunology Microbiology and Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1016/j.cimid.2016.09.002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 47-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Isis Indaiara Gonçalves Granjeiro Taques ◽

Tatiane Rodrigues Barbosa ◽

Andresa de Cássia Martini ◽

Letícia Camara Pitchenin ◽

Ísis Assis Braga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Neospora Caninum ◽

Ehrlichia Canis ◽

Transplacental Transmission ◽

Brucella Canis ◽

Molecular Assessment

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Toxoplasma gondii in sheep: epidemiological clues from wild rabbits and hares

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s175275620002041x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2007 ◽

pp. 138-138

Author(s):

S. Mason ◽

J. E. Smith ◽

J. P. Dubey

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Definitive Host ◽

Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽

Horizontal Transmission ◽

Protozoan Parasite ◽

Oral Route ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Sentinel Species ◽

Transplacental Transmission

The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is an important cause of lamb loss. Horizontal transmission to ewes can occur from the parasite’s definitive host, the cat, by the faecal-oral route (Buxton 1990). Vertical (transplacental) transmission to lambs also occurs (Williams et al 2005; Rodger et al 2006). Toxoplasma encysts in brain and muscle where it persists for the lifetime of the sheep. Since Toxoplasma can infect any warm-blooded vertebrate, wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and hares (Lepus europeaus) might similarly be infected by the faecal-oral route and they might function as parasite reservoirs, infecting cats by the tissue-oral route. The aim of this study was to determine whether rabbits and hares are informative as sentinel species, revealing the prevalence and strain of Toxoplasma on pasture, such that they could be used as indicators of infection risk to sheep.

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Transplacental transmission in cattle: is Toxoplasma gondii less potent than Neospora caninum?

Parasitology Research ◽

10.1007/s00436-010-2172-8 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 108 (5) ◽

pp. 1235-1241 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jitbanjong Wiengcharoen ◽

R. C. Andrew Thompson ◽

Chawalit Nakthong ◽

Parntep Rattanakorn ◽

Yaowalark Sukthana

Keyword(s):

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Neospora Caninum ◽

Transplacental Transmission

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Vertical transmission of Toxoplasma gondii from chronically infected house (Mus musculus) and field (Apodemus sylvaticus) mice determined by polymerase chain reaction

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s003118209700231x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 116 (4) ◽

pp. 299-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

M. R. OWEN ◽

A. J. TREES

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Toxoplasma Gondii ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Pcr Amplification ◽

Apodemus Sylvaticus ◽

Poor Correlation ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Infected Female ◽

Polymerase Chain

Captive-bred Mus musculus (house mice) and Apodemus sylvaticus (field mice) were each infected with 50 oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii M1 strain per os and infection in them and their offspring was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the T. gondii B1 gene in brain tissue and by serology, using the modified agglutination test (MAT). The chronically infected female A. sylvaticus (n=10) and M. musculus (n=23) were mated at least 6 weeks after infection (and subsequently to produce up to 6 litters) and their pups examined 3 weeks after weaning at 6 weeks of age. By PCR, in offspring of A. sylvaticus and M. musculus respectively, vertical transmission was demonstrated in 82·7% (n=83) and 85·0% (n=207) of all pups (N.S., P>0·05), 95% (n=21) and 100% (n=30) of all litters (N.S., P>0·05), with a mean (±S.E.) proportion of each litter infected of 0·87 (0·06) and 0·86 (0·04) (N.S., P>0·05). There was no change in any of these variables between first and subsequent litters. By serology, whilst MAT suggested 100% vertical transmission in A. sylvaticus, it under-estimated rates of infection in offspring of M. musculus. A limited series of bioassays from M. musculus tissues confirmed the good correlation of PCR and the poor correlation of MAT with mouse inoculation. These results indicate that vertical transmission in A. sylvaticus and M. musculus is extremely efficient and probably endures for the life of the breeding female. This mechanism favours parasite transmission and dispersion by providing a potential reservoir of infection in hosts predated by the cat.

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