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Alexander J, Jebbari H, Bluethmann H, Brombacher F, Roberts CW. The role of IL-4 in adult acquired and congenital toxoplasmosis. Int J Parasitol 1998; 28:113-20. [PMID: 9504339 DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7519(97)00168-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The course of Toxoplasma gondii infection was studied in IL-4-deficient mice from three genetic backgrounds and their wild-type counterparts following peroral inoculation of tissue cysts. Survival rates were significantly reduced in disease-susceptible C57 BL/6 mice and F1 (C57BL/6 x 129Sv) mice deficient in IL-4 compared with wild-type controls. In contrast, this difference was not observed in T. gondii-resistant BALB/c mice. However, brain tissue cyst burdens in IL-4-deficient mice were either equivalent to (C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice) or significantly less (B6/129 mice) than similarly infected wild-type mice. Thus strain-specific differences in the course of T. gondii were demonstrated in the absence of IL-4. The course of T. gondii infection was also compared between B6/129 IL-4-deficient mice and their wild-type counterparts following peroral challenge with 20 tissue cysts on day 12 of pregnancy. Age-matched non-pregnant IL-4-/- and IL-4+/+ mice were also infected to assess the role of IL-4 on T. gondii infection during pregnancy. Disease phenotypes, as measured by mortality, were reversed if infections were initiated during pregnancy compared with non-pregnant infection. Thus significant mortality occurred immediately post partum in IL-4+/+ mothers, while all IL-4-/- mothers survived. Cyst burdens 28 days p.i. were significantly lower in IL-4-/- mothers than IL-4+/+ mothers and both IL-4-/- and IL-4+/+ non-pregnant mice. Congenital disease transmission as measured by foetal death or vertical disease transmission was independent of the presence or absence of IL-4. These studies demonstrate a role for IL-4 in pregnancy-induced immunosuppression and the associated increased susceptibility to T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Alexander
- Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
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52
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Favoreto-Júnior S, Ferro EA, Clemente D, Silva DA, Mineo JR. Experimental infection of Calomys callosus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) by Toxoplasma gondii. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 1998; 93:103-7. [PMID: 9698850 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02761998000100018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Calomys callosus, Rengger 1830 (Rodentia, Cricetidae), a wild rodent found in Central Brazil, was studied to investigate its susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii experimental infection and its humoral immune response against this protozoa. The electrophoretic profile of the serum proteins of C. callosus showed that IgG, which shows no affinity to Protein A, has higher cross reactivity with rat IgG than with IgG from other rodents. The susceptibility assay was performed by inoculation groups of animals with various suspensions of T. gondii tachyzoites from 10(2) to 10(6) parasites. All animals died between 3 and 9 days after infection and the kinetics of antibody synthesis was determined. Basically, they recognized predominantly the immunodominant antigen SAG-1 (P30). The immunohistochemistry assays revealed that the liver was the most heavily infected organ, followed by the spleen, lungs, intestine, brain and kidneys. It can be concluded that C. callosus is an excellent experimental model for acute phase of Toxoplasma infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Favoreto-Júnior
- Departamento de Patologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
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53
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Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in Fennoscandian reindeer — association with the degree of domestication. Parasitol Int 1997. [DOI: 10.1016/s1383-5769(97)00033-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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54
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Bhopale GM, Naik SR, Bhave GG, Naik SS, Gogate A. Assessment of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay based diagnostic kits (Toxokit-G and Toxokit-M) for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in human serum. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 1997; 20:309-14. [PMID: 9481515 DOI: 10.1016/s0147-9571(97)00011-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using penicillinase was developed in the form of diagnostic kits (Toxokit-G and Toxokit-M) for the detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. The performance of both the kits was compared with commercially available diagnostic kits, i.e. Enzygnost-Toxoplasmosis/IgG (Behring Co., Germany), TOXOTEK-G (Flow Lab., U.K.) and Toxoplasma IgM Microassay (Diamedix Corp., U.S.A.) by testing toxoplasma-suspected human serum samples. The results indicate a good reliability between these diagnostic kits. Toxokit-G has 86.66 and 96.05% sensitivity and specificity respectively. The main advantage of Toxokit-G is that the end result can be assessed visually without using sophisticated instruments. Toxokit-M has 100% sensitivity and specificity and test results were not affected by the presence of antitoxoplasma IgG antibodies, rheumatoid factor or antinuclear antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Bhopale
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Immunodiagnostics, Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd, Pimpri, Pune, India
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55
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Dar FK, Alkarmi T, Uduman S, Abdulrazzaq Y, Grundsell H, Hughes P. Gestational and neonatal toxoplasmosis: regional seroprevalence in the United Arab Emirates. Eur J Epidemiol 1997; 13:567-71. [PMID: 9258570 DOI: 10.1023/a:1007392703037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Paired maternal/cord blood samples were tested for anti-Toxoplasma IgG or IgM antibodies using Biomerieux Micro-EIA2 IgG and IgM test kits. Of the 1503 women tested at the time of delivery, 344 (22.9%) were IgG seropositive. Three hundred and one maternal sera, including 265 that were IgG positive, were tested for IgM antibodies: 47 were found positive, indicating a gestational toxoplasmosis incidence of 31 per 1000 pregnancies over one year. All but one of the IgM positive maternal sera had tested IgG positive. Cord blood IgG seropositivity was similar to the maternal rate but 18 of the 301 babies had significant levels of anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibodies. As these 18 babies were all born to mothers also positive for IgM antibodies, the calculated rate of transplacental transmission was 38.3% with the estimated prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis of 12 per 1000 live births. There was no statistically significant positive correlation between maternal seroprevalence and such well-known risk factors as consumption of raw meat and milk, or proximity of cats and other animals. One baby was born with the classical stigmata of congenital toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- F K Dar
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
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56
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Tenter AM, Johnson AM. Phylogeny of the tissue cyst-forming coccidia. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 1997; 39:69-139. [PMID: 9241815 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-308x(08)60045-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A M Tenter
- Institut für Parasitologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany
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57
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Roberts CW, Ferguson DJ, Jebbari H, Satoskar A, Bluethmann H, Alexander J. Different roles for interleukin-4 during the course of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Infect Immun 1996; 64:897-904. [PMID: 8641798 PMCID: PMC173854 DOI: 10.1128/iai.64.3.897-904.1996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The course of Toxoplasma gondii infection from initiation of disease perorally until day 28 postinfection was compared between interleukin-4 (IL-4) gene knockout (IL-4-/-) mice and their wild-type (IL-4+/+) counterparts on a disease-susceptible genetic background. The rate of mortality was significantly greater in mice deficient in Il-4 than in the immunocompetent controls. Although levels of T. gondii-specific spleen cell proliferation measured in vitro were similar between groups at all time points examined throughout infection, the quantities of cytokines released into the culture supernatant differed. Culture supernatants from spleen cells derived from IL-4-deficient mice contained significantly more gamma interferon than those derived from IL-4+/+ mice at day 7 postinfection. Conversely, IL-10 production was significantly greater from the spleen cells derived from wild-type mice at day 28 postinfection. Splenocytes from both groups of mice had a marked inhibition of proliferation in response to soluble tachyzoite antigen as well as reduced proliferation in response to concanavalin A between days 7 and 14 postinfection and marked proliferation on days 21 and 28 postinfection. At day 28 postinfection, histological examination of the brains indicated that IL-4+/+ mice had more severe pathological changes and more cysts than IL-4-/- mice. In addition, although many nonencysted single organisms were present in IL-4+/+ mice within both necrotic lesions and microglial nodules, few nonencysted parasites were found, and no necrotic lesions were present in IL-4-deficient animals. These results suggest that the observed reduction in mortality during the early acute phases of infection may be due to the down-regulatory effects of Il-4 or associated Th2-derived products on proinflammatory cytokines such as gamma interferon. However, the long-term effects of IL-4 are detrimental, possibly because of the ability of this cytokine to inhibit proinflammatory antiparasitic products. This may explain the increased parasite multiplication with cysts observed in the brains of IL-4+/+ mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Roberts
- Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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58
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Alexander J, Jebbari H, Bluethmann H, Satoskar A, Roberts CW. Immunological control of Toxoplasma gondii and appropriate vaccine design. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 1996; 219:183-95. [PMID: 8791700 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-51014-4_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J Alexander
- Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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59
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Zhang YW, Fraser A, Balfour AH, Wreghitt TG, Gray JJ, Smith JE. Serological reactivity against cyst and tachyzoite antigens of Toxoplasma gondii determined by FAST-ELISA. J Clin Pathol 1995; 48:908-11. [PMID: 8537487 PMCID: PMC502944 DOI: 10.1136/jcp.48.10.908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To obtain quantitative data on the human serological response to Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite and bradyzoite antigens. METHODS Serum samples from 30 patients who had positive antibody titres against T gondii and from 14 who were seronegative, together with sequential serum samples from four infected individuals, were screened by FAST-ELISA. RESULTS Serum samples from the 30 seropositive patients showed high IgG and IgM titres against the T gondii tachyzoite antigen but very low responses to cyst antigen. This result was borne out in sequential serum samples from patients with toxoplasmosis. CONCLUSION Antibody recognition of the cystic stage of T gondii is low, implying that either this stage is poorly immunogenic or that the antigen load is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y W Zhang
- Department of Pure and Applied Biology, University of Leeds
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60
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Fernández F, Ouviña G, Clot E, Fernandes Guido R, Codoni C. Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in cats in the western part of Great Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1993. Vet Parasitol 1995; 59:75-9. [PMID: 7571341 DOI: 10.1016/0304-4017(94)00732-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The serological prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii was determined, using indirect haemagglutination assay, in the sera of 169 cats. Classification by age, sex, alimentary, hunting and roaming habits was made in conjunction with the number of cats living in each house. An important prevalence was detected (19.5%) from 1 year of age and statistical significance was found in those animals that had predatory habits or lived in groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Fernández
- Department of Zoonoses Control, Hipólito Irigoyen 1440, Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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61
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Roberts CW, Brewer JM, Alexander J. Congenital toxoplasmosis in the Balb/c mouse: prevention of vertical disease transmission and fetal death by vaccination. Vaccine 1994; 12:1389-94. [PMID: 7887016 DOI: 10.1016/0264-410x(94)90147-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Vertical disease transmission only occurs in Balb/c mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii for the first time during pregnancy. This is similar to the situation in humans, where a previous infection with T. gondii tends to give life-long immunity against reinfection and fetal disease transmission. The Balb/c mouse therefore provides a suitable model to study the effectiveness of T. gondii vaccine candidates. A soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg) preparation was used to vaccinate female Balb/c mice. STAg was inoculated subcutaneously into Balb/c mice in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), or entrapped within non-ionic surfactant vesicles (NISV). While all inocula induced cellular immunity as measured by parasite-specific spleen cell proliferation in vitro, the highest mean proliferative values were observed in spleens from mice where NISV had been used as the adjuvant and the lowest values were observed where FCA had been used. More importantly, cultures from the NISV/STAg vaccinated mice produced significantly more gamma-interferon than the other experimental groups. This vaccine formulation was therefore identified as that most likely to induce protective immunity against toxoplasmosis. Mice were inoculated subcutaneously with either NISV/STAg or STAg in PBS 4 and 2 weeks before mating and infected orally with 20 tissue cysts of T. gondii on day 12 of pregnancy. The incidence of fetal infection and death in these mice and non-vaccinated infected dams was compared. Of 84 pups born to 14 non-vaccinated dams 45 were viable, of which 18 were found to be infected on reaching maturity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Roberts
- Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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62
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Tenter AM, Vietmeyer C, Johnson AM, Janitschke K, Rommel M, Lehmacher W. ELISAs based on recombinant antigens for seroepidemiological studies on Toxoplasma gondii infections in cats. Parasitology 1994; 109 ( Pt 1):29-36. [PMID: 8058366 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182000077738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Two recombinant Toxoplasma gondii polypeptides, H4 and H11, were tested as diagnostic antigens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The results obtained by ELISAs based on single H4 (H4-ELISA), on single H11 (H11-ELISA) and on a mixture of H4 and H11 (H4/H11-ELISA) were compared with results obtained by an ELISA based on traditional ELISA antigen (TEA-ELISA), an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), the Sabin-Feldman dye test (SFDT) and a direct agglutination test (DAT). A total of 306 cats from a suburban cat population were tested of which about 45% showed serological evidence of T. gondii infection. Infection rates varied from about 32% for cats kept indoors to about 55% for stray cats. Specificities > 99% were observed for all ELISAs based on the recombinant antigens (H4-ELISA, H11-ELISA and H4/H11-ELISA). The H4/H11-ELISA also reached a sensitivity of 95% which compared very favourably with those observed for the TEA-ELISA (98%) and for the IFAT (94%). Negative and positive predictive values for the H4/H11-ELISA were 96 and > 99%, respectively. Antibody titres measured by the H4/H11-ELISA also correlated well with those measured by the SFDT and the DAT. Hence, the H4/H11-ELISA appears to be a very suitable test for sero-epidemiological studies on T. gondii infections in cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Tenter
- Institut für Parasitologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany
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63
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Idris MA, Ruppel A. Prevalence of IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in human sera from Dhofar, Oman. ANNALS OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND PARASITOLOGY 1994; 88:89-91. [PMID: 8192522 DOI: 10.1080/00034983.1994.11812841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M A Idris
- Department of Biology, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
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64
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Tenter AM, Vietmeyer C, Johnson AM. Development of ELISAs based on recombinant antigens for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies in sheep and cats. Vet Parasitol 1992; 43:189-201. [PMID: 1413451 DOI: 10.1016/0304-4017(92)90160-b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
ELISAs using recombinant parasite polypeptides as antigens were developed to measure Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies in the sera of sheep and cats. Compared with an ELISA based on traditional parasite antigen, the ELISA for sheep sera had a sensitivity of 79% and a negative predictive value of 80%, and the ELISA for cat sera had a sensitivity of 100% and a negative predictive value of 100%. Both ELISAs had specificities of 100% and positive predictive values of 100%. These ELISAs appear to be a useful cost-effective alternative to ELISAs based on traditional parasite antigen for the measurement of T. gondii-specific antibodies in the sera of sheep and cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Tenter
- Institut für Parasitologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany
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65
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Roberts CW, Alexander J. Studies on a murine model of congenital toxoplasmosis: vertical disease transmission only occurs in BALB/c mice infected for the first time during pregnancy. Parasitology 1992; 104 Pt 1:19-23. [PMID: 1614736 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182000060753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis was determined by an ELISA in the litters of BALB/c mice which had been infected 8 weeks before mating, on day 12 of pregnancy, or on both these occasions. Of those mice given the infection for the first time on day 12 of pregnancy, 5 out of 6 gave birth to infected litters with approximately 50% of the individuals in each litter being infected. BALB/c mice which had been infected 8 weeks before mating did not give birth to infected litters, even if they were reinfected on day 12 of pregnancy. Following infection BALB/c mice were found to harbour significantly fewer tissue cysts than the congenic H-2 derivative BALB/K strain. However, chronically infected BALB/K mice also failed to produce infected litters, indicating that tissue cyst burden in the dam did not influence congenital infection at least on the BALB background. This study demonstrates that BALB/c dams chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii, have immunity capable of protecting their embryos from congenital infection, even if the dams are reinfected during pregnancy. Our results demonstrate that the BALB/c mouse can be used as a model of human or ovine congenital T. gondii infection suitable for testing putative vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- C W Roberts
- Department of Immunology, Todd Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
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66
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Dixon BR. Prevalence and control of toxoplasmosis — a Canadian perspective. Food Control 1992. [DOI: 10.1016/0956-7135(92)90034-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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67
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Zumla A, Croft SL. Chemotherapy and immunity in opportunistic parasitic infections in AIDS. Parasitology 1992; 105 Suppl:S93-101. [PMID: 1308934 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182000075405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Parasitic diseases are endemic in parts of the tropics, but there is no convincing evidence that their prevalence or incidence is increasing due to the HIV epidemic. Available scientific data on parasitic infections in patients with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) suggests a predominance of Pneumocystis carinii, Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium spp. For reasons which are unclear, parasitic infections such as Plasmodium falciparum, Strongyloides stercoralis and Entamoeba histolytica, where cell-mediated immune responses are also thought to be significant, do not appear to be opportunists of importance. It is being increasingly recognized that chemotherapy for parasitic diseases has a host-dependent component, although scientific data on this subject remain scanty. The management of opportunistic parasitic infections in patients infected with HIV is dogged by failures and relapses, aptly illustrating the notion of the relationship between chemotherapy and the immune response. This review discusses the immunity and chemotherapy of opportunistic parasite infections in patients infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zumla
- Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Texas, School of Medicine and Public Health, Houston
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68
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Zumla A, Savva D, Wheeler RB, Hira SK, Luo NP, Kaleebu P, Sempala SK, Johnson JD, Holliman R. Toxoplasma serology in Zambian and Ugandan patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1991; 85:227-9. [PMID: 1887478 DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(91)90034-v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In the USA and Europe, toxoplasmosis is well recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised individuals. Toxoplasma gondii has been shown to be a common opportunistic infection in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the USA and Europe with published estimates ranging from 20% to 80%. The importance of Toxoplasma infection in East Africa has not yet been defined. The seroprevalence rates of toxoplasmosis in Zambian and Ugandan patients were determined using the dye test (DT) and the latex agglutination test (LAT). The geographical variation in seroprevalence rates noted in western countries was also found in these African countries, with Zambia showing significantly lower rates than Uganda. 34% of Ugandan (64/186) and 4% of Zambian (8/187) patients infected with HIV, compared with 27% of Ugandan (26/93) and 11% of Zambian (20/189) HIV-negative persons, had anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulin G antibodies. With the LAT, 13% of the Ugandan and 7% of the Zambian sera gave a false positive result. The relevance of Toxoplasma serology in Africa is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zumla
- Department of Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
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