Development of Neurological Mouse Model for Toxoplasmosis Using Toxoplasma gondii Isolated from Chicken in Kenya

Abstract

Animal models for the toxoplasmosis are scarce and have limitations. In this study, a neurological mouse model was developed in BALB/c mice infected intraperitoneally with 15 cysts of a Toxoplasma gondii isolate. The mice were monitored for 42 days and euthanized at different time points. Another group of mice were orally treated with dexamethasone (DXM: 2.66 mg/kg daily, 5.32 mg/kg daily) at 42 days after infection and monitored for a further 42 days. A mortality rate of 15% and 28.6% was observed in mice given 2.66 mg/kg/day and 5.32 mg/kg/day of DXM, respectively. The mean cyst numbers in the brain of DXM treated mice increased up to twofold compared with chronically infected untreated mice. Infections up to 42 days were associated with an increase in both IgM and IgG levels but following dexamethasone treatment, IgM levels declined but IgG levels continued on rising. The brain of toxoplasmosis infected mice showed mononuclear cellular infiltrations, neuronal necrosis, and cuffing. The severity of pathology was higher in mice treated with dexamethasone compared to the positive control groups. The findings of this study demonstrate that DXM-induced reactivation of chronic toxoplasmosis may be a useful development of laboratory animal model in outbred mice used for in vivo studies.

Imiquimod Targets Toxoplasmosis Through Modulating Host Toll-Like Receptor-MyD88 Signaling

“…On day 49 p.i., ten mice were sacrificed and brain cysts were counted following an optimized percoll extraction method ( 62 , 63 ). To test the viability of the remaining cysts found in the brains of treated mice and their capacity of reactivation, the remaining mice (eight mice per condition) were treated with Dexamethasone (5 mg/L) ( 64 ) and assessed for survival for more than 120 days.…”

Potential Therapeutic Effect of Allogenic Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Chronic Cerebral Murine Toxoplasmosis

“…7). Scoring of brain inflammation (1-3) was determined [25]. Group I showed mild histopathological changes (score 1).…”

A Review on the Present Advances on Studies of Toxoplasmosis in Eastern Africa

“…Another study was done involving the development of a neurological mouse model for Toxoplasmosis using Toxoplasma gondii isolated from chicken in Kenya. The brain of toxoplasmosis-infected mice showed mononuclear cellular infiltrations, neuronal necrosis, and perivascular cuffing [ 45 ].…”