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Gül C, Gül A, Karakavuk T, Erkunt Alak S, Karakavuk M, Can H, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Yavuz İ, Kaplan S, Erel Akbaba G, Şen Karaman D, Akbaba H, Efe Köseoğlu A, Ovayurt T, Yüksel Gürüz A, Ün C, Kantarcı AG, Döşkaya M. A novel DNA vaccine encoding the SRS13 protein administered by electroporation confers protection against chronic toxoplasmosis. Vaccine 2024; 42:126065. [PMID: 38880692 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.032] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that can infect a variety of mammals including humans and causes toxoplasmosis. Unfortunately, a protective and safe vaccine against toxoplasmosis hasn't been developed yet. In this study, we developed a DNA vaccine encoding the SRS13 protein and immunized BALB/c mice thrice with pVAX1-SRS13 through the intramuscular route (IM) or intradermally using an electroporation device (ID + EP). The immunogenicity of pVAX1-SRS13 was analyzed by ELISA, Western blot, cytokine ELISA, and flow cytometry. The protective efficacy of the pVAX1-SRS13 was investigated by challenging mice orally with T. gondii PRU strain tissue cysts. The results revealed that pVAX1-SRS13 administered through IM or ID + EP routes induced high level of anti-SRS13 IgG antibody responses (P = 0.0037 and P < 0.0001). The IFN-γ level elicited by the pVAX1-SRS13 (ID + EP) was significantly higher compared to the control group (P = 0.00159). In mice administered with pVAX1-SRS13 (ID + EP), CD8+ cells secreting IFN-γ was significantly higher compared to pVAX1-SRS13 (IM) (P = 0.0035) and the control group (P = 0.0068). Mice vaccinated with the SRS13 DNA vaccine did not induce significant IL-4 level. Moreover, a significant reduction in the number of tissue cysts and the load of T. gondii DNA was detected in brains of mice administered with pVAX1-SRS13 through ID + EP and IM routes compared to controls. In conclusion, the SRS13 DNA vaccine was found to be highly immunogenic and confers strong protection against chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceren Gül
- Ege University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Aytül Gül
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Tuğba Karakavuk
- Ege University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Sedef Erkunt Alak
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Muhammet Karakavuk
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Ödemiş Vocational School, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - İrem Yavuz
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Seren Kaplan
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Gülşah Erel Akbaba
- İzmir Katip Çelebi University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Didem Şen Karaman
- İzmir Katip Çelebi University, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Biomedical Engineering, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Hasan Akbaba
- Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Ahmet Efe Köseoğlu
- Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Türkiye; Duisburg-Essen University, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Essen, Germany
| | - Tolga Ovayurt
- İzmir Katip Çelebi University, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Biomedical Technology, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Cemal Ün
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Ayşe Gülten Kantarcı
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Ege University, Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Vaccine Studies, İzmir, Türkiye; Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Türkiye
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Gül A, Erkunt Alak S, Can H, Karakavuk M, Korukluoğlu G, Altaş AB, Gül C, Karakavuk T, Köseoğlu AE, Ülbeği Polat H, Yazıcı Malkoçoğlu H, Taş Ekiz A, Abacı İ, Aksoy Ö, Enül H, Adıay C, Uzar S, Saraç F, Ün C, Gürüz AY, Kantarcı AG, Akbaba H, Erel Akbaba G, Yılmaz H, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Taşbakan M, Pullukçu H, Karasulu E, Tekin Ş, Döşkaya M. Immunogenicity and protection efficacy of a COVID-19 DNA vaccine encoding spike protein with D614G mutation and optimization of large-scale DNA vaccine production. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13865. [PMID: 38879684 PMCID: PMC11180131 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64690-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 had devastating consequences for human health. Despite the introduction of several vaccines, COVID-19 continues to pose a serious health risk due to emerging variants of concern. DNA vaccines gained importance during the pandemic due to their advantages such as induction of both arms of immune response, rapid development, stability, and safety profiles. Here, we report the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine encoding spike protein with D614G mutation (named pcoSpikeD614G) and define a large-scale production process. According to the in vitro studies, pcoSpikeD614G expressed abundant spike protein in HEK293T cells. After the administration of pcoSpikeD614G to BALB/c mice through intramuscular (IM) route and intradermal route using an electroporation device (ID + EP), it induced high level of anti-S1 IgG and neutralizing antibodies (P < 0.0001), strong Th1-biased immune response as shown by IgG2a polarization (P < 0.01), increase in IFN-γ levels (P < 0.01), and increment in the ratio of IFN-γ secreting CD4+ (3.78-10.19%) and CD8+ (5.24-12.51%) T cells. Challenging K18-hACE2 transgenic mice showed that pcoSpikeD614G administered through IM and ID + EP routes conferred 90-100% protection and there was no sign of pneumonia. Subsequently, pcoSpikeD614G was evaluated as a promising DNA vaccine candidate and scale-up studies were performed. Accordingly, a large-scale production process was described, including a 36 h fermentation process of E. coli DH5α cells containing pcoSpikeD614G resulting in a wet cell weight of 242 g/L and a three-step chromatography for purification of the pcoSpikeD614G DNA vaccine.
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MESH Headings
- Vaccines, DNA/immunology
- Vaccines, DNA/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, DNA/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Animals
- Humans
- SARS-CoV-2/immunology
- SARS-CoV-2/genetics
- Mice
- COVID-19/prevention & control
- COVID-19/immunology
- HEK293 Cells
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology
- COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Mutation
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/blood
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood
- Female
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Immunoglobulin G/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Aytül Gül
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Sedef Erkunt Alak
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Muhammet Karakavuk
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Ödemiş Vocational School, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Gülay Korukluoğlu
- Republic of Türkiye, General Directorate of Public Health, Ministry of Health, National Virology Reference Central Laboratory, Ankara, Türkiye
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Ayşe Başak Altaş
- Republic of Türkiye, General Directorate of Public Health, Ministry of Health, National Virology Reference Central Laboratory, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Ceren Gül
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Tuğba Karakavuk
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Ahmet Efe Köseoğlu
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Duisburg-Essen University, Essen, Germany
| | - Hivda Ülbeği Polat
- TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, Vice Presidency of Life Sciences, Kocaeli, Türkiye
| | | | - Arzu Taş Ekiz
- TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, Vice Presidency of Life Sciences, Kocaeli, Türkiye
| | - İrem Abacı
- TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, Vice Presidency of Life Sciences, Kocaeli, Türkiye
| | - Özge Aksoy
- TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, Vice Presidency of Life Sciences, Kocaeli, Türkiye
| | - Hakan Enül
- Pendik Veterinary Control Institute, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Cumhur Adıay
- Pendik Veterinary Control Institute, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Serdar Uzar
- Pendik Veterinary Control Institute, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Fahriye Saraç
- Pendik Veterinary Control Institute, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Cemal Ün
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Ayşe Gülten Kantarcı
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Hasan Akbaba
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Gülşah Erel Akbaba
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, İzmir Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Habibe Yılmaz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Trakya University, Edirne, Türkiye
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Meltem Taşbakan
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Hüsnü Pullukçu
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Ercüment Karasulu
- Ege University Research and Application Center of Drug Development and Pharmacokinetics, İzmir, Türkiye
| | - Şaban Tekin
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Türkiye.
- Department of Vaccine Studies, Institute of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye.
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Türkiye.
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Teng Siew T, Mohamad SA, Sudarno R, Md Said H. Atypical Ocular Toxoplasmosis With Remote Vasculitis and Kyrieleis Plaques. Cureus 2024; 16:e52756. [PMID: 38389616 PMCID: PMC10882149 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Retinal vasculitis is common in ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) and typically occurs in the same quadrant as retinochoroiditis. This is a case of atypical ocular toxoplasmosis with remote vasculitis distant from the retinochoroiditis lesion. Examination of the left fundus showed the classic posterior segment finding of "headlight in the fog" in the absence of a chorioretinal scar. Retinal vasculitis was noted in all four quadrants at the periphery far from the retinitis area. A presumptive diagnosis of acute panuveitis secondary to ocular toxoplasmosis was made despite the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Toxoplasmosis antibody being pending. The patient was treated empirically with oral sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim for eight weeks and received both oral and topical corticosteroids. His symptoms and ocular signs have significantly improved. This case report highlights an atypical remote localization of vasculitis with the classic appearance of retinochoroiditis and vitritis, which is highly due to toxoplasmosis. Early initiation of antibiotic therapy is recommended despite pending serology to ensure a good final visual and ocular outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tan Teng Siew
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, MYS
| | - Shahidatul-Adha Mohamad
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS
| | - Rafidah Sudarno
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, MYS
| | - Haslinda Md Said
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, MYS
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Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Can H, Gül A, Karakavuk T, Güvendi M, Karakavuk M, Gül C, Erkunt Alak S, Ün C, Gürüz AY, Döşkaya M. A preliminary study to develop a lateral flow assay using recombinant GRA1 protein for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in stray cats. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 101:102057. [PMID: 37647822 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2023.102057] [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: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that may infect many mammals including humans. Cats are one of the main sources of infection for humans. Therefore, routine screening of cats with tests that are inexpensive, rapid, and do not require sophisticated laboratory equipment is important. In this study, a lateral flow assay (LFA) was designed to rapidly diagnose toxoplasmosis in cats. For this purpose, we selected GRA1 protein of T. gondii due to its high antigenicity in diagnostic and vaccine studies. We further analyzed the immunological properties of GRA1 protein using in silico tools. Then, we expressed and purified recombinant GRA1 (rGRA1) protein and used it during the development of LFA to detect toxoplasmosis in serum samples (n = 40) of cats. According to the results, rGRA1 protein has negative GRAVY value, high aliphatic index, alpha helix, random coil and 12 B cell epitopes. The in silico data supported the high antigenic properties of rGRA1 protein and showed that it can be a good antigen candidate for LFA. Among 30 cat positive serum samples, 27 were found positive by the LFA while seronegative sera (n = 10) were negative by the LFA. The preliminary data showed that the LFA has high sensitivity (90 %) and specificity (100 %). When we used high responsive cat sera (i.e. sera that have optical density > 0.5 with ELISA) the sensitivity value reached 100 %. These results showed that rGRA1 protein is a good candidate to develop a LFA for rapid diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Faculty of Science Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Turkey.
| | - Aytül Gül
- Ege University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Department of Bioengineering, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Faculty of Engineering Department of Bioengineering, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Tuğba Karakavuk
- Ege University Graduate Faculty of Natural and Applied Science Biotechnology Program, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mervenur Güvendi
- Ege University Faculty of Science Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Muhammet Karakavuk
- Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Ödemiş Vocational School, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Ceren Gül
- Ege University Graduate Faculty of Natural and Applied Science Biotechnology Program, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Sedef Erkunt Alak
- Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Cemal Ün
- Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Faculty of Science Department of Biology Molecular Biology Section, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University Vaccine Development Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey
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Márquez-Mauricio A, Caballero-Ortega H, Gómez-Chávez F. Congenital Toxoplasmosis Diagnosis: Current Approaches and New Insights. Acta Parasitol 2023; 68:473-480. [PMID: 37368128 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-023-00693-y] [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: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study is to describe and discuss current disadvantages in congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) diagnosis, and what can be improved or changed through new perspectives and technological advances. METHODS We used Pubmed, Cochrane, and EBSCO databases to research publications from 10 years to date describing current diagnostic methods for CT. The keywords used for this Mini-Review were Toxoplasma gondii, congenital toxoplasmosis, diagnosis, and prospects using Boolean operators such as AND, OR, identifying scientific publications highlighting the importance of implementing new diagnostic methods. RESULTS Current diagnosis methods have several disadvantages, i.e., time-consuming, low sensitivity or specificity, and non-cost effective, that bring up the necessity of improving or developing new approaches. Recombinant proteins can help improve specificity by generating tests that use circulating strains in a specific geographical region, SAG1 and BAG1, as they are expressed during a particular stage of the disease (acute or chronic, respectively), for its use in serological diagnoses, such as capture ELISA and immunochromatography. Point of Care (POC) tests are methods performed at the patient care site, which leads to rapid patient treatment; despite the advantages, several improvements and perspectives are necessary to be implemented globally. CONCLUSIONS Although already established diagnosis methods for CT may be sufficient in some regions, there is still a persistent demand to develop tests with higher throughput, cost, and time reduction in developing countries, where prevalence is high. New approaches in CT diagnosis, such as recombinant proteins, capture ELISA, immunochromatography, and POC tests methods, can increase performance in terms of specificity and sensitivity simplifying diagnostic tests' requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fernando Gómez-Chávez
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Osteoarticulares e Inmunológicas, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, ENMyH-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico.
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6
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Qi T, Ai J, Sun Y, Ma H, Kang M, You X, Li J. Application of Toxoplasma gondii-specific SAG1, GRA7 and BAG1 proteins in serodiagnosis of animal toxoplasmosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1029768. [PMID: 36590582 PMCID: PMC9798413 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1029768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite T. gondii which is widely prevalent in humans and animals worldwide. The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis and distinguishing acute or chronic T. gondii infections have utmost importance for humans and animals. The TgSAG1, TgGRA7, and TgBAG1 proteins were used in the present study to develop the serological rSAG1-ELISA, rGRA7-ELISA and rBAG1-ELISA methods for the testing of T. gondii specific IgG and IgM antibodies and differentiating acute or chronic toxoplasmosis in 3733 animals, including Tibetan sheep, yaks, pigs, cows, cattle, horses, chickens, camels and donkeys from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The ELISA tests showed that the overall positivity of IgG antibody was 21.1% (786/3733), 15.3% (570/3733) and 18.2% (680/3733) for rSAG1-, rGRA7- and rBAG1-ELISA, respectively, and the positivity of IgM antibody was 11.8% (439/3733), 13.0% (486/3733) and 11.8% (442/3733) for rSAG1-, rGRA7- and rBAG1-ELISA, respectively. A total of 241 animals (6.5%) positive for all rSAG1-, rGRA7- and rBAG1-IgG were found in this study, and the 141 animals (3.8%) tested were anti-T. gondii IgM positive in all three ELISAs. Moreover, the 338, 284 and 377 animals were IgG positive in rSAG1 + rGRA7-, rBAG1 + rGRA7- and rSAG1 + rBAG1- ELISAs respectively, and the 346, 178 and 166 animals in rSAG1 + rGRA7-, rBAG1 + rGRA7- and rSAG1 + rBAG1-ELISAs were IgM positive respectively. The results confirmed that the application of SAG1, GRA7, and BAG1 recombinant antigens could successfully be used in the detection of specific IgG and IgM antibodies for distinguishing between acute or chronic T. gondii infections. It is inferred that the forms in which current animal species in the plateau area were infected with T. gondii, and the period of infection or the clinical manifestations of the current infections may be different. The present study provides substantial clinical evidence for the differential diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, and the classification of acute and chronic T. gondii infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongsheng Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China,College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Jingkai Ai
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China,College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Yali Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China,College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Diagnosis for Animal Diseases and Green Technical Research for Prevention and Control, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Hejia Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China,College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Ming Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China,College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Xiaoqian You
- Qinghai Animal Disease Control Center, Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Jixu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China,College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining, China,Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Diagnosis for Animal Diseases and Green Technical Research for Prevention and Control, Qinghai University, Xining, China,*Correspondence: Jixu Li,
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7
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Parmaksız S, Gül A, Erkunt Alak S, Karakavuk M, Can H, Gül C, Karakavuk T, López-Macías C, Puralı N, Döşkaya M, Şenel S. Development of multistage recombinant protein vaccine formulations against toxoplasmosis using a new chitosan and porin based adjuvant system. Int J Pharm 2022; 626:122199. [PMID: 36115468 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a global health problem affecting both human and animal populations. The lack of effective treatment makes the development of a vaccine against toxoplasmosis one of the main goals in the management of this disease. In our study, vaccine formulations containing the multistage recombinant antigens, rBAG1 + rGRA1 were developed with a combined adjuvant system consisting of chitosan and Salmonella Typhi porins in micro (MicroAS) and nanoparticulate (NanoAS) forms. BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally with vaccine formulations two times at three-week intervals. Three weeks after the second vaccination, mice were challenged with 7-8 live tissue cysts of the virulent T. gondii PRU strain by oral gavage. Higher cellular uptake by macrophages and enhanced cellular (IFN-γ and I-4 in stimulated spleen cells) and humoral (IgG, IgG1, IgG2a) responses were obtained with the adjuvanted formulation, higher with microsystem when compared to that of nanosystem. Microsystem was found to stimulate Th1-polarized immune responses, whereasnon-adjuvanted antigens stimulated Th2-polarized immune response. The highest survival rate and reduction in cysts numbers and T. gondii DNA were obtained with the adjuvanted antigens.Our study showed that adjuvanted multistage recombinant vaccine systems increase theimmune response with strong protection againstT. gondii, more profoundly in microparticulate form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selin Parmaksız
- Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Ankara 06100, Turkey
| | - Aytül Gül
- Ege University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Bornova, Izmir 35040, Turkey; Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey
| | - Sedef Erkunt Alak
- Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey; Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Bornova, Izmir 35040, Turkey
| | - Muhammet Karakavuk
- Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey; Ege University, Vocational School, Odemis, Izmir 35750, Turkey
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey; Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Bornova, Izmir 35040, Turkey
| | - Ceren Gül
- Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey; Ege University Institute of Science, Department of Biotechnology, Bornova, Izmir 35040, Turkey
| | - Tuğba Karakavuk
- Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey; Ege University Institute of Science, Department of Biotechnology, Bornova, Izmir 35040, Turkey
| | - Constantino López-Macías
- Medical Research Unit on Immunochemistry, Specialties Hospital of the National Medical Centre ''Siglo XXI'', Mexican Institute for Social Security, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Nuhan Puralı
- Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biophysics,06100 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Ege University Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Izmir 35100, Turkey; Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Bornova, Izmir 35100, Turkey
| | - Sevda Şenel
- Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Ankara 06100, Turkey.
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8
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Identification of Oocyst-Driven Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Humans and Animals through Stage-Specific Serology-Current Status and Future Perspectives. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9112346. [PMID: 34835471 PMCID: PMC8618849 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The apicomplexan zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii has three infective stages: sporozoites in sporulated oocysts, which are shed in unsporulated form into the environment by infected felids; tissue cysts containing bradyzoites, and fast replicating tachyzoites that are responsible for acute toxoplasmosis. The contribution of oocysts to infections in both humans and animals is understudied despite being highly relevant. Only a few diagnostic antigens have been described to be capable of discriminating which parasite stage has caused an infection. Here we provide an extensive overview of the antigens and serological assays used to detect oocyst-driven infections in humans and animals according to the literature. In addition, we critically discuss the possibility to exploit the increasing knowledge of the T. gondii genome and the various 'omics datasets available, by applying predictive algorithms, for the identification of new oocyst-specific proteins for diagnostic purposes. Finally, we propose a workflow for how such antigens and assays based on them should be evaluated to ensure reproducible and robust results.
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9
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Assessment of an In-House Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and IgG Avidity Test Based on SAG1 and GRA7 Proteins for Discriminating between Acute and Chronic Toxoplasmosis in Humans. J Clin Microbiol 2021; 59:e0041621. [PMID: 34077255 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00416-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To improve serodiagnostic methods for diagnosis of acute from chronic toxoplasmosis, an economical in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring Toxoplasma-specific IgG, IgM, and IgG avidity has been developed and assessed based on use of various Toxoplasma gondii antigens, including SAG1, GRA7, and a combination of SAG1 and GRA7 (SAG1+GRA7), as well as Toxoplasma lysate antigens (TLAs). Performances of in-house IgM, IgG, and IgG avidity assays were compared to those of ELISA commercial kits and VIDAS Toxo IgG avidity. A set of 138 sera from patients with acquired T. gondii infection and seronegative people were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an area under curve (AUC) of 0.98, 0.97, 0.99, and 0.99 for IgM-TLAs, IgM-SAG1, IgM-GRA7, and IgM-SAG1+GRA7, respectively. Furthermore, AUC was calculated as 0.99, 0.99, 0.98, and 0.99 for IgG-TLAs, IgG-SAG1, IgG-GRA7, and IgG-SAG1+GRA7, respectively. The current study showed that GRA7 included 100% sensitivity for the detection of Toxo IgM, while SAG1 included 89.7% sensitivity. Furthermore, the highest specificity (97.2%) to detect Toxo IgM was achieved using SAG1+GRA7 antigen. For the detection of Toxo IgG, the highest sensitivity (100%) was recorded for SAG1+GRA7, followed by TLAs (97.9%). The SAG1+GRA7 showed the greatest potential for assessing avidity of IgG antibodies, with 97.1% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity compared to those of VIDAS Toxo IgG avidity. The preliminary results have promised better discriminations between acute and chronic infections using a combination of SAG1 and GRA7 recombinant antigens compared to those using TLAs.
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10
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Karakavuk M, Can H, Gül A, Döşkaya AD, Alak SE, Ün C, Gürüz AY, Döşkaya M. GRA8 DNA vaccine formulations protect against chronic toxoplasmosis. Microb Pathog 2021; 158:105016. [PMID: 34098019 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii has a very wide host range and infects all warm-blooded animals including humans. The disease causes great economic losses both in animals and humans. Vaccination is the most effective approach to fight against toxoplasmosis however an effective vaccine has not been developed yet. In the present study, GRA8 protein of T. gondii that showed high immunogenicity in our previous microarray screening study was used to develop a DNA vaccine using pcDNA 3.3 vector for the first time. In order to increase the potency of the DNA vaccine, 10 times lower amount of GRA8 DNA vaccine was combined with molecular adjuvant CpG and formulated into a commercial liposome (pcDNA3.3-GRA8+CpG+Escort). Mice were vaccinated intramuscularly two times at three-week intervals and challenged orally with the T. gondii PRU strain tissue cysts. The humoral immune response was determined by Western Blot and ELISA. The cellular immune response was analyzed by flow cytometry, cytokine ELISA and MTT assay. Among the vaccine groups, pcDNA3.3-GRA8 and pcDNA3.3-GRA8+CpG+Escort induced strong IgG response compared to controls (P < 0.001). The IgG1 and IgG2a responses showed a balanced Th1-Th2 polarization. The ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes secreting IFN-γ increased, and significantly higher extracellular IFN-γ secretion was achieved compared to the controls (P < 0.01). The amount of tissue cysts in the group of mice vaccinated with pcDNA3.3-GRA8 decreased significantly compared to control groups (P < 0.0001). In the group vaccinated with pcDNA3.3-GRA8+CpG+Escort, the amount of tissue cysts also decreased significantly compared to PBS (P = 0.0086) and Empty plasmid+CpG+Escort (P = 0.0007) groups. This study showed for the first time that pcDNA 3.3. vector encoding GRA8 with or without CpG and Liposome can induce strong cellular and humoral immune responses and confer strong protection against mouse model of chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammet Karakavuk
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Ege University Ödemiş Vocational School, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Ege University, Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Aytül Gül
- Ege University, Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Sedef Erkunt Alak
- Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Cemal Ün
- Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey; Ege University, Vaccine Development, Application and Research Center, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey.
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11
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Gülce-İz S, Elaldı N, Can H, Şahar EA, Karakavuk M, Gül A, Kumoğlu GÖ, Döşkaya AD, Gürüz AY, Özdarendeli A, Felgner PL, Davies H, Döşkaya M. Development of a novel recombinant ELISA for the detection of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus IgG antibodies. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5936. [PMID: 33723328 PMCID: PMC7961021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85323-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral infection caused by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). Serological screening of CCHF is important and current ELISA use antigens prepared from virus which is expensive due to requirement of high bio-containment facilities. In this study, we aimed to develop a new recombinant ELISA. For this purpose, CCHFV genome were expressed as 13 proteins in E. coli and among them abundantly purified recombinant Nucleocapsid protein (rNP) and Mucin-like variable domain (rMLD) were used as antigen in ELISA (Rec-ELISA). Rec-ELISA using rNP, rMLD and a combination of both (rNP/rMLD) were probed with acute (n = 64; collected between days 1 and 7 after onset of symptoms), convalescent (n = 35; collected 8 days after onset of symptoms), consecutive sera (n = 25) of confirmed CCHF cases and control sera (n = 43). The sensitivity and specificity of Rec-ELISA using rNP/rMLD were 73% and 98% in acute cases and 97% and 98% in convalescent cases. The median interquartile absorbance value to discriminate the acute and convalescent phases of CCHF was significantly higher with ELISA using rNP/rMLD (P < 0.0001) compared to rNP (P > 0.05) and rMLD (P = 0.001). These results indicate that the Rec-ELISA using rNP/rMLD may be very useful to diagnose convalescent CCHF cases especially in field studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sultan Gülce-İz
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Vaccine Research and Development Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Nazif Elaldı
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey.
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Department of Biology, Section of Molecular Biology, Ege University, Faculty of Science, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Esra Atalay Şahar
- Department of Biotechnology, Ege University, Faculty of Engineering, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Muhammet Karakavuk
- Department of Parasitology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Aytül Gül
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Gizem Örs Kumoğlu
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.,Blood Bank of Ege University, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Department of Parasitology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Aykut Özdarendeli
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Erciyes University, Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Philip Louis Felgner
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Vaccine Research and Development Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Huw Davies
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Vaccine Research and Development Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
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12
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Mévélec MN, Lakhrif Z, Dimier-Poisson I. Key Limitations and New Insights Into the Toxoplasma gondii Parasite Stage Switching for Future Vaccine Development in Human, Livestock, and Cats. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:607198. [PMID: 33324583 PMCID: PMC7724089 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.607198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease affecting human, livestock and cat. Prophylactic strategies would be ideal to prevent infection. In a One Health vaccination approach, the objectives would be the prevention of congenital disease in both women and livestock, prevention/reduction of T. gondii tissue cysts in food-producing animals; and oocyst shedding in cats. Over the last few years, an explosion of strategies for vaccine development, especially due to the development of genetic-engineering technologies has emerged. The field of vaccinology has been exploring safer vaccines by the generation of recombinant immunogenic proteins, naked DNA vaccines, and viral/bacterial recombinants vectors. These strategies based on single- or few antigens, are less efficacious than recombinant live-attenuated, mostly tachyzoite T. gondii vaccine candidates. Reflections on the development of an anti-Toxoplasma vaccine must focus not only on the appropriate route of administration, capable of inducing efficient immune response, but also on the choice of the antigen (s) of interest and the associated delivery systems. To answer these questions, the choice of the animal model is essential. If mice helped in understanding the protection mechanisms, the data obtained cannot be directly transposed to humans, livestock and cats. Moreover, effectiveness vaccines should elicit strong and protective humoral and cellular immune responses at both local and systemic levels against the different stages of the parasite. Finally, challenge protocols should use the oral route, major natural route of infection, either by feeding tissue cysts or oocysts from different T. gondii strains. Effective Toxoplasma vaccines depend on our understanding of the (1) protective host immune response during T. gondii invasion and infection in the different hosts, (2) manipulation and modulation of host immune response to ensure survival of the parasites able to evade and subvert host immunity, (3) molecular mechanisms that define specific stage development. This review presents an overview of the key limitations for the development of an effective vaccine and highlights the contributions made by recent studies on the mechanisms behind stage switching to offer interesting perspectives for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zineb Lakhrif
- Team BioMAP, Université de Tours, INRAE, ISP, Tours, France
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13
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Şahar EA, Can H, İz SG, Döşkaya AD, Kalantari-Dehaghi M, Deveci R, Gürüz AY, Döşkaya M. Development of a hexavalent recombinant protein vaccine adjuvanted with Montanide ISA 50 V and determination of its protective efficacy against acute toxoplasmosis. BMC Infect Dis 2020; 20:493. [PMID: 32650739 PMCID: PMC7348124 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05220-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, avian species and humans. Toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic in healthy individuals, whereas it may lead to death in immune suppressed or deficient patients. A vaccine against T. gondii is required to prevent consequences of the infection. The aim of this study is to generate a multivalent recombinant protein vaccine against T. gondii. Methods 49 previously discovered antigenic proteins of T gondii were evaluated by their expression level in E. coli and by comprehensive bioinformatics analyses to determine antigenic epitopes. Based on these analyses, six vaccine candidate proteins were selected to generate a hexavalent recombinant protein vaccine adjuvanted with Montanide ISA 50 V. Humoral and cellular immune responses were determined by flow cytometry and ELISA. Vaccinated mice were challenged with T. gondii Ankara strain tachyzoites. Results In mice vaccinated with hexavalent vaccine, strong total IgG (P < 0.0001) and IgG2a (P < 0.001) responses were induced compared to controls, the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes secreting IFN-γ increased, and significantly higher extracellular IFN-γ secretion was achieved compared to the controls (P < 0.001). The survival time of the vaccinated mice increased to 8.38 ± 2.13 days which was significantly higher than controls (P < 0.01). Conclusions Altogether, these results show that the hexavalent vaccine which is developed for the first time against T. gondii induced strong and balanced Th1 and Th2 immune responses as well as conferred significant protection against challenge with lethal toxoplasmosis in murine model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esra Atalay Şahar
- Present address: Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, 35100, İzmir, Turkey.,Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, 35100, Bornova, Turkey.,Department of Biotechnology, Ege University Faculty of Science, Bornova, 35100, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, 35100, Bornova, Turkey
| | - Sultan Gülçe İz
- Department of Bioengineering, Ege University Faculty of Engineering, Bornova, 35100, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Present address: Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, 35100, İzmir, Turkey
| | | | - Remziye Deveci
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, 35100, Bornova, Turkey
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Present address: Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, 35100, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Present address: Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, 35100, İzmir, Turkey.
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14
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Ybañez RHD, Ybañez AP, Nishikawa Y. Review on the Current Trends of Toxoplasmosis Serodiagnosis in Humans. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:204. [PMID: 32457848 PMCID: PMC7227408 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a widely distributed zoonotic infection caused by the obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It is mainly transmitted through the ingestion of oocysts shed by an infected cat acting as its definitive host. The key to effective control and treatment of toxoplasmosis is prompt and accurate detection of T. gondii infection. Several laboratory diagnostic methods have been established, including the most commonly used serological assays such as the dye test (DT), direct or modified agglutination test (DAT/MAT), indirect hemagglutination test (IHA), latex agglutination test (LAT), indirect immunofluorescent test (IFAT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), immunochromatographic tests (ICT), and the western blot. Nonetheless, creating specific and reliable approaches for serodiagnosis of T. gondii infection, and differentiating between acute and chronic phases of infection remains a challenge. This review provides information on the current trends in the serodiagnosis of human toxoplasmosis. It highlights the advantages of the use of recombinant proteins for serological testing and provides insight into the possible future direction of these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle Haidee D. Ybañez
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Adrian P. Ybañez
- Institute of Molecular Parasitology and Protozoan Diseases at Main and College of Veterinary Medicine, Cebu Technological University, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Yoshifumi Nishikawa
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
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15
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Sağlam Metiner P, Can H, Ayyıldız Tamiş D, Karakavuk M, Kımız Geboloğlu I, Gülçe İz S, Atalay Şahar E, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Gürüz Y, Deliloğlu Gürhan Sİ, Döşkaya M. The use of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites produced in HeLa cells adhered to Cytodex 1 microcarriers as antigen in serological assays: an application of microcarrier technology. Cytotechnology 2019; 71:91-105. [PMID: 30607647 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-018-0269-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii can infect nearly all warm-blooded animals, including humans. In the laboratory diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, serological tests have importance in detecting antibody response. Traditionally T. gondii tachyzoites grown in vivo are being used as an antigen source in serological assays. Currently, tachyzoites produced in vitro are being tested as an antigen source in order to decrease animal use. Microcarrier technology allowed us to grow anchorage-dependent host cells on microcarrier suspension in short time and approximately 10 times more than traditional flask technique. The ability of T. gondii tachyzoites to grow in host cells adhered to microcarriers has not been analyzed yet. In this study, we aimed to develop a novel in vitro culture method to produce T. gondii tachyzoites abundantly using HeLa cells adhered to Cytodex 1 microcarriers. Initially, the growth of HeLa cells adhered to Cytodex 1 was analyzed using RPMI 1640, DMEM, and EMEM. Next, HeLa cells with a concentration of 1 × 105 cells/ml and 2 × 105 cells/ml were adhered to Cytodex 1 and grown in spinner flasks. Then, T. gondii tachyzoites were inoculated with 1:1 and 2:1 cell:tachyzoite ratios to HeLa cells adhered to microcarriers in spinner flaks. During continuous production in spinner flasks, tachyzoites were harvested at the 2nd, 4th, and 7th day of culture and the quality of antigens produced from these tachyzoites were tested in ELISA and Western Blotting using sera of patients with toxoplasmosis. The optimization studies showed that finest HeLa inoculation value was 2 × 105 cells/ml using RPMI 1640, and the cell:tachyzoite ratio to obtain the highest tachyzoite yield (17.1 × 107) was 1:1 at the 4th day of inoculation. According to the results of ELISA comparing HeLa cell and mouse derived antigens, the highest correlation with mouse antigen was achieved at the 4th day of HeLa cell culture with 1:1 HeLa:tachyzoite ratio (P < 0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity ratios of ELISA were 100%. In addition, Western blotting banding patterns of the antigen derived at the 4th day of HeLa cell culture with 1:1 HeLa:tachyzoite ratio was comparable with mouse derived antigen. Overall, this novel methodology can be an alternative source of antigen in diagnostic assays, decrease animal use for antigen production, and contribute to the solution of ethical and economic problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pelin Sağlam Metiner
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Section, Faculty of Science, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey.
| | - Duygu Ayyıldız Tamiş
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Muhammet Karakavuk
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Ilgın Kımız Geboloğlu
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Sultan Gülçe İz
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Esra Atalay Şahar
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | | | - Yüksel Gürüz
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
| | | | - Mert Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, İzmir, Turkey
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16
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Yang J, Wang L, Xu D, Tang D, Li S, Du F, Wang L, Zhao J, Fang R. Risk Assessment of Etanercept in Mice Chronically Infected With Toxoplasma gondii. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2822. [PMID: 30519229 PMCID: PMC6258779 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a zoonotic parasite that severely harms the health of the host. The cysts of T. gondii can reactivate from bradyzoites to tachyzoites, if the individual develops low or defective immunity, causing lethal toxoplasmosis. The host resists T. gondii infection by mediating Th1-type cellular immunity to generate pro-inflammatory cytokines. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine, which can induce lysosomal fusion of parasitophorous vacuole (PV) to kill parasites. Etanercept is a soluble TNF receptor fusion protein, which is widely used clinically to cure autoimmune diseases. The effects and specific molecular mechanisms of etanercept treatment on patients co-infected with autoimmune diseases and chronic toxoplasmosis are rarely reported. In our study, a mouse model of chronic infection with T. gondii and murine macrophages RAW264.7 cells infected with T. gondii were employed to investigate the impact of etanercept on the status of chronic infection. The cytokines levels and a series of phenotypic experiments in vivo and in vitro were measured. In the present study, the expression levels of TNF, IL-1β, and IL-6 were decreased and the brain cysts number was increased in mice chronically infected with T. gondii after being treated with etanercept. In vivo experiments confirmed that etanercept caused a decrease in the immune levels of the mice and activated the brain cysts, which would lead to conversion from chronic infection to acute infection, causing severe clinical and pathological symptoms. Murine macrophages RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with etanercept, and then infected with T. gondii. In vitro experiments, the expression levels of cytokines were decreased, indicating that etanercept could also reduce the cells’ immunity and promote the transformation of bradyzoites to tachyzoites, but did not affect the intracellular replication of tachyzoites. In summary, etanercept treatment could activate the conversion of bradyzoites to tachyzoites through reducing host immunity in vivo and in vitro. The results obtained from this study suggest that the use of etanercept in patients co-infected with autoimmune diseases and chronic toxoplasmosis may lead to the risk of activation of chronic infection, resulting in severe acute toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Luyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dongmei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ding Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Senyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fen Du
- Hubei Centre for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
| | - Lixia Wang
- Hubei Provincial Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
| | - Junlong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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A systematic review of Toxoplasma gondii antigens to find the best vaccine candidates for immunization. Microb Pathog 2018; 126:172-184. [PMID: 30399440 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
At present, there is not any available accepted vaccine for prevention of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in human and animals. We conducted literature search through English (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, EBSCO, ISI Web of Science) scientific paper databases to find the best vaccine candidates against toxoplasmosis among T. gondii antigens. Articles with information on infective stage, pathogenicity, immunogenicity and characterization of antigens were selected. We considered that the ideal and significant vaccines should include different antigens and been expressed in all infective stages of the parasite with a high pathogenicity and immunogenicity. Evaluation within this systematic review indicates that MIC 3, 4, 13, ROP 2, RON 5, GRA 1, 6, 8, 14 are expressed in all three infective stages and have pathogenicity and immunogenicity. MIC 5, ROM 4, GRA 2, 4, 15, ROP 5, 16, 17, 38, RON 4, MIC 1, GRA 10, 12, 16, SAG 3 are expressed in only tachyzoites and bradyzoites stages of T. gondii with pathogenicity/immunogenicity. Some antigens appeared to be expressed in a single stage (tachyzoites) but have high pathogenicity and induce immune response. They include enolase2 (ENO2), SAG 1, SAG5D, HSP 70, ROM 1, ROM 5, AMA 1, ROP 18, RON2 and GRA 24. In conclusion, current vaccination against T. gondii infection is not satisfactory, and with the increasing number of high-risk individuals, the development of an effective and safe specific vaccine is greatly valuable for toxoplasmosis prevention. This systematic review reveals prepare candidates for immunization studies.
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Döşkaya M, Liang L, Jain A, Can H, Gülçe İz S, Felgner PL, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Davies DH, Gürüz AY. Discovery of new Toxoplasma gondii antigenic proteins using a high throughput protein microarray approach screening sera of murine model infected orally with oocysts and tissue cysts. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:393. [PMID: 29973272 PMCID: PMC6033234 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2934-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes congenital toxoplasmosis, as well as other serious clinical presentations in immune compromised humans. The parasite has also been recently linked to behavioral diseases in humans and other mammalian hosts. New antigens are being evaluated to develop a diagnostic kit for the diagnosis of acute infection or a protective vaccine. METHODS In this study, we have focused on the discovery of new antigenic proteins from T. gondii genomic data using a high throughput protein microarray screening. To date, microarrays containing > 2870 candidate exon products of T. gondii have been probed with sera collected from patients with toxoplasmosis. Here, the protein microarrays are probed with well-characterized serum samples from animal models administered orally with oocysts or tissue cysts. The aim was to discover the antigens that overlap in the mouse profile with human antibody profiles published previously. For this, a reactive antigen list of 240 antigens recognized by murine IgG and IgM was identified using pooled sera from orally infected mice. RESULTS Analyses of screening data have identified plenty of antigens and showed strong immunogenicity in both mouse and human antibody profiles. Among them, ROP1, GRA2, GRA3, GRA4, GRA5, GRA6, GRA7, GRA8, GRA14, MIC1, MIC2 and MAG1 have shown strong immunogenicity and used as antigen in development of vaccines or serological diagnostic assays in previous studies. CONCLUSION In addition to the above findings, ROP6, MIC12, SRS29A and SRS13 have shown strong immunogenicity but have not been tested in development of a diagnostic assay or a vaccine model yet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mert Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - Li Liang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ege University Faculty of Sciences, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - Sultan Gülçe İz
- Department of Bioengineering, Ege University Faculty of Engineering, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - Philip Louis Felgner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - David Huw Davies
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
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Yang J, Du F, Zhou X, Wang L, Li S, Fang R, Zhao J. Brain proteomic differences between wild-type and CD44- mice induced by chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection. Parasitol Res 2018; 117:2623-2633. [PMID: 29948204 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-018-5954-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Chronic clinical Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection is the primary disease state that causes severe encephalitis. CD44 is a member of the cell adhesion molecule family and plays an important role in T. gondii infection. However, proteomic changes in CD44 during chronic T. gondii infection have rarely been reported. Thus, an iTRAQ-based proteomic study coupled with 2D-LC-MS/MS analysis was performed to screen CD44-related proteins during chronic T. gondii infection. As a result, a total of 2612 proteins were reliably identified and quantified. Subsequently, 259, 106, and 249 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were compared between CD44- mice (A) vs wild-type mice (B), B vs wild-type mice infected with T. gondii (C), and C vs CD44- mice infected with T. gondii (D). Gene ontology, KEGG pathway, and protein-protein interaction analyses were performed on the DEPs. According to the results, immune-related proteins were altered significantly among the A vs B, B vs C, and C vs D comparisons, which might indicate that chronic T. gondii infection caused changes in the host immune response. Additionally, Ca2+- and metabolism-related proteins were upregulated in C vs D, which supported the hypothesis that CD44 mediated the production of host Ca2+ and IFN-γ and that the parasite preferentially invaded cells expressing high levels of CD44. The present findings validate and enable a more comprehensive knowledge of the role of CD44 in hosts chronically infected with T. gondii, thus providing new ideas for future studies on the specific functions of CD44 in latent toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Fen Du
- Hubei Centre for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoliu Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Lixia Wang
- Hubei Provincial Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Senyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.
| | - Junlong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.
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Roiko MS, LaFavers K, Leland D, Arrizabalaga G. Toxoplasma gondii-positive human sera recognise intracellular tachyzoites and bradyzoites with diverse patterns of immunoreactivity. Int J Parasitol 2017; 48:225-232. [PMID: 29170086 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Antibody detection assays have long been the first line test to confirm infection with the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. However, challenges exist with serological diagnosis, especially distinguishing between acute, latent and reactivation disease states. The sensitivity and specificity of serological tests might be improved by testing for antibodies against parasite antigens other than those typically found on the parasite surface during the acute stage. To this end, we analysed the reactivity profile of human sera, identified as positive for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG in traditional assays, by indirect immunofluorescence reactivity to acute stage intracellular tachyzoites and in vitro-induced latent stage bradyzoites. The majority of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG positive sera recognised both intracellularly replicating tachyzoites and in vitro-induced bradyzoites with varying patterns of immune-reactivity. Furthermore, anti-bradyzoite antibodies were not detected in sera that were IgM-positive/IgG-negative. These results demonstrate that anti-Toxoplasma gondii-positive sera may contain antibodies to a variety of antigens in addition to those traditionally used in serological tests, and suggest the need for further investigations into the utility of anti-bradyzoite-specific antibodies to aid in diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijo S Roiko
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 350 West 11th Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Kaice LaFavers
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, MS A-519, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Diane Leland
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 350 West 11th Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Gustavo Arrizabalaga
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, MS A-519, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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Shen N, He R, Liang Y, Xu J, He M, Ren Y, Gu X, Lai W, Xie Y, Peng X, Yang G. Expression and characterisation of a Sarcoptes scabiei protein tyrosine kinase as a potential antigen for scabies diagnosis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9639. [PMID: 28852108 PMCID: PMC5575040 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10326-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Scabies is a disease that harms humans and other animals that is caused by the itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrowing into the stratum corneum of the skin. In the early stages of scabies, symptoms are often subclinical and there are no effective diagnostic methods. Herein, we cloned, expressed and characterised an S. scabiei protein tyrosine kinase (SsPTK) and evaluated its diagnostic value as a recombinant antigen in rabbit during the early stages of Sarcoptes infestation. The SsPTK protein is ~30 kDa, lacks a signal peptide, and shares high homology with a PTK from the rabbit ear mite Psoroptes ovis cuniculi. The protein was widely distributed at the front end of mites, particularly in the chewing mouthparts and legs. Indirect ELISA using recombinant SsPTK showed good diagnostic value, with 95.2% (40/42) sensitivity and 94.1% (48/51) specificity for detecting anti-PTK antibody in serum samples from naturally-infested rabbits. More importantly, PTK ELISA could diagnose infection in the early stages (infestation for 1 week) with an accuracy of 100% (24/24). SsPTK therefore shows potential as a sensitive antigen for the early diagnosis of parasitic mite infestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nengxing Shen
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Ran He
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Yuqing Liang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Manli He
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Yongjun Ren
- Sichuan Animal Sciences Academy, Sichuan Chengdu, 610066, China
- Animal Breeding and Genetics key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Xiaobin Gu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Weimin Lai
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Yue Xie
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Xuerong Peng
- Department of Chemistry, College of Life and Basic Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China
| | - Guangyou Yang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611130, China.
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22
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Shen B, Yuan Y, Cheng J, Pan M, Xia N, Zhang W, Wang Y, Zhou Y, Zhao J. Activation of chronic toxoplasmosis by transportation stress in a mouse model. Oncotarget 2016; 7:87351-87360. [PMID: 27895319 PMCID: PMC5349993 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite infecting 25% of the world population and enormous number of animals. It can exist in two forms in intermediate hosts: the fast replicating tachyzoites responsible for acute infection and the slowly replicating bradyzoites responsible for life-long chronic infection. The interconversion between tachyzoites and bradyzoites plays critical roles in the transmission and pathogenesis of T. gondii. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern the interconversion are largely unknown. In this study, we established a chronic infection model in mice and examined the impact of transportation stress on the status of chronic infection. Our results demonstrated that, treating chronically infected mice with conditions mimicking transportation stress reduced the levels of several key cytokines that restrict the infection at chronic stage. Increased expression of the tachyzoite specific gene SAG1 (surface antigen 1) was detected in brain cysts of stress treated mice, indicating activation and conversion of bradyzoites to tachyzoites. Using this model, we identified fifteen toxoplasmic proteins that had significant abundance changes during stress induced cysts reactivation. These proteins serve as a basis for further investigation of the mechanisms governing bradyzoite conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bang Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Jianxi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Ming Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Ningbo Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Weichao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Yifan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Yanqin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
| | - Junlong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
- Hubei Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China
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23
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Zheng Y, He R, He M, Gu X, Wang T, Lai W, Peng X, Yang G. Characterization of Sarcoptes scabiei cofilin gene and assessment of recombinant cofilin protein as an antigen in indirect-ELISA for diagnosis. BMC Infect Dis 2016; 16:21. [PMID: 26801761 PMCID: PMC4724102 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-016-1353-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Scabies impairs the health of humans and animals and causes heavy economic losses. Traditional diagnostic methods for scabies are inefficient and ineffective, and so far there is no commercial immunodiagnostic or molecular based test for scabies. Methods Here, we used recombinant Sarcoptes scabiei cofilin protein as an antigen to establish indirect ELISA. S. scabiei cofilin is highly homologous to Dermatophagoides farinae Der f 31 allergen (90 % identity). The S. scabiei cofilin gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli to obtain recombinant protein. Western blotting and fluorescence immunohistochemistry were carried out, and we established an indirect ELISA method and detected 33 serum samples from scabies infected rabbits and 30 serum samples from naïve rabbits. Results Western blotting demonstrated that S. scabiei cofilin possessed good immunogenicity and fluorescence immunohistochemistry showed the S. scabiei cofilin is widespread in the splanchnic area of mites. In ELISA, a cut-off value of 0.188 was determined to judge experimental positive and negative serum values. Specificity and sensitivity of the ELISA were 87.9 and 83.33 %, respectively. Conclusions Recombinant S. scabiei cofilin showed potential value as a diagnostic antigen. The ELISA method established could be used in clinical diagnosis and provide experimental information in minimal or asymptomatic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zheng
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Ran He
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Manli He
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Xiaobin Gu
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Weimin Lai
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Xuerong Peng
- Department of Chemistry, College of Life and Basic Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
| | - Guangyou Yang
- Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, China.
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Gedik Y, Gülçe İz S, Can H, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, İsmet Deliloğlu Gürhan S, Gürüz Y, Döşkaya M. Immunogenic multistage recombinant protein vaccine confers partial protection against experimental toxoplasmosis mimicking natural infection in murine model. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trivac.2015.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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25
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Santana SS, Gebrim LC, Carvalho FR, Barros HS, Barros PC, Pajuaba ACAM, Messina V, Possenti A, Cherchi S, Reiche EMV, Navarro IT, Garcia JL, Pozio E, Mineo TWP, Spano F, Mineo JR. CCp5A Protein from Toxoplasma gondii as a Serological Marker of Oocyst-driven Infections in Humans and Domestic Animals. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1305. [PMID: 26635770 PMCID: PMC4656833 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Considering that the current immunoassays are not able to distinguish the infective forms that cause Toxoplasma gondii infection, the present study was carried out to evaluate the reactivity of two recombinant proteins (CCp5A and OWP1) from oocyst/sporozoite, in order to differentiate infections occurring by ingestion of oocysts or tissue cysts. The reactivity of the recombinant proteins was assessed against panels of serum samples from animals (chickens, pigs, and mice) that were naturally or experimentally infected by different infective stages of the parasite. Also, we tested sera from humans who have been infected by oocysts during a well-characterized toxoplasmosis outbreak, as well as sera from pregnant women tested IgM+/IgG+ for T. gondii, which source of infection was unknown. Only the sporozoite-specific CCp5A protein was able to differentiate the parasite stage that infected chickens, pigs and mice, with specific reactivity for oocyst-infected animals. Furthermore, the CCp5A showed preferential reactivity for recent infection by oocyst/sporozoite in pigs and mice. In humans, CCp5A showed higher reactivity with serum samples from the outbreak, compared with serum from pregnant women. Altogether, these findings demonstrate the usefulness of the CCp5A protein as a new tool to identify the parasite stage of T. gondii infection, allowing its application for diagnosis and epidemiological investigations in animals and humans. The identification of parasite infective stage can help to design effective strategies to minimize severe complications in immunocompromised people and, particularly, in pregnant women to prevent congenital infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silas S Santana
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Luiz C Gebrim
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Fernando R Carvalho
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Heber S Barros
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Patrício C Barros
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Ana C A M Pajuaba
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Valeria Messina
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Possenti
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Cherchi
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| | - Edna M V Reiche
- Department of Clinical Medicine, State University of Londrina - University Hospital Londrina, Brazil
| | - Italmar T Navarro
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, State University of Londrina Londrina, Brazil
| | - João L Garcia
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, State University of Londrina Londrina, Brazil
| | - Edoardo Pozio
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| | - Tiago W P Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Furio Spano
- Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy
| | - José R Mineo
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia Uberlândia, Brazil
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Identification of Toxoplasma gondii antigens associated with different types of infection by serum antibody profiling. Parasitology 2015; 142:827-38. [PMID: 25586591 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182014001978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Acquisition of acute toxoplasmosis during the first trimester of pregnancy can have catastrophic consequences for the foetus. Diagnosis is routinely based on the detection of maternal Toxoplasma gondii--antibodies using whole parasite extracts as detection antigen. While such assays are sensitive, they show no specificity for the stage of infection. We hypothesized diagnosis might be improved using recombinant antigens for detection, particularly if antibodies to certain antigen(s) were associated with early or late stages of infection. To address this, protein microarrays comprising 1513 T. gondii exon products were probed with well-characterized sera from seronegative ('N') controls, and acute ('A'), chronic/IgM-persisting ('C/M') and chronic ('C') toxoplasmosis cases from Turkey. Three reactive exon products recognized preferentially in A infections, and three recognized preferentially in C/M infections, were expressed in Escherichia coli and tested for discrimination in IgG ELISAs. The best discriminators were exon 1 of TGME49_086450 (GRA5) which detected C/M infections with 70.6% sensitivity and 81.8% specificity, and exon 6 of TGME49_095700 (ubiquitin transferase domain-containing protein) which detected A infections with 84.8% sensitivity and 82.4% specificity. Overall, the data support a recombinant protein approach for the development of improved serodiagnostic tests for toxoplasmosis.
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