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Baker TL, Wright DK, Uboldi AD, Tonkin CJ, Vo A, Wilson T, McDonald SJ, Mychasiuk R, Semple BD, Sun M, Shultz SR. A pre-existing Toxoplasma gondii infection exacerbates the pathophysiological response and extent of brain damage after traumatic brain injury in mice. J Neuroinflammation 2024; 21:14. [PMID: 38195485 PMCID: PMC10775436 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-024-03014-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a key contributor to global morbidity that lacks effective treatments. Microbial infections are common in TBI patients, and their presence could modify the physiological response to TBI. It is estimated that one-third of the human population is incurably infected with the feline-borne parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which can invade the central nervous system and result in chronic low-grade neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and excitotoxicity-all of which are also important pathophysiological processes in TBI. Considering the large number of TBI patients that have a pre-existing T. gondii infection prior to injury, and the potential mechanistic synergies between the conditions, this study investigated how a pre-existing T. gondii infection modified TBI outcomes across acute, sub-acute and chronic recovery in male and female mice. Gene expression analysis of brain tissue found that neuroinflammation and immune cell markers were amplified in the combined T. gondii + TBI setting in both males and females as early as 2-h post-injury. Glutamatergic, neurotoxic, and oxidative stress markers were altered in a sex-specific manner in T. gondii + TBI mice. Structural MRI found that male, but not female, T. gondii + TBI mice had a significantly larger lesion size compared to their uninfected counterparts at 18-weeks post-injury. Similarly, diffusion MRI revealed that T. gondii + TBI mice had exacerbated white matter tract abnormalities, particularly in male mice. These novel findings indicate that a pre-existing T. gondii infection affects the pathophysiological aftermath of TBI in a sex-dependent manner, and may be an important modifier to consider in the care and prognostication of TBI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara L Baker
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - David K Wright
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Alessandro D Uboldi
- Division of Infectious Disease and Immune Defense, , The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Christopher J Tonkin
- Division of Infectious Disease and Immune Defense, , The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Anh Vo
- Monash Health Translation Precinct, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Trevor Wilson
- Monash Health Translation Precinct, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stuart J McDonald
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Bridgette D Semple
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Mujun Sun
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Sandy R Shultz
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, 6th Floor, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
- Health Sciences, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC, Canada.
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Seeber F. Past and present seroprevalence and disease burden estimates of Toxoplasma gondii infections in Germany: An appreciation of the role of serodiagnostics. Int J Med Microbiol 2023; 313:151592. [PMID: 38056090 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2023.151592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is one of the major foodborne parasitic diseases in Germany, with 49% of its population chronically infected with its causative agent, Toxoplasma gondii. Although the acute disease is usually benign in immunocompetent individuals, it is a threat for immunocompromised patients as well as for fetuses of seronegative mothers. As a result of infection, congenital and ocular toxoplasmosis can have serious lifelong consequences. Here I will highlight the epidemiologic situation, from its past in the two separate parts of Germany, to its unification 30 years ago and up to the present day. The main identified risk factor for infection in Germany is thought to be the consumption of undercooked or raw meat or sausages. However, the relative impact of this risky eating habit as well as that of other risk factors are changing and are discussed and compared to the situation in the Netherlands. Finally, the importance of robust and efficient high-throughput serological assays for obtaining reliable epidemiological data, on which public health decisions can be made, is highlighted. The potential of bead-based multiplex assays, which allow the incorporation of multiple antigens with different analytical properties and thus yield additional information, are described in this context. It illustrates the interdependence of new analytic assay developments and sound epidemiology, a foundation that decades-old data from Germany did not have.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Seeber
- FG 16 - Mycotic and parasitic agents and mycobacteria, Robert Koch-Institut, Seestrasse 10, D-13353 Berlin, Germany.
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