T cell mediated immune responses to Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women with primary toxoplasmosis

A Proinflammatory Immune Response Might Determine Toxoplasma gondii Vertical Transmission and Severity of Clinical Features in Congenitally Infected Newborns

“…The activity of these cells in nontransmitter women might be involved in limiting tachyzoites stage proliferation and dissemination through blood, the most crucial parasite stage and pathway associated to congenital infection (5,14). The relation of CD8 + cell proliferation to nontransmission is consistent with the previous work reported by Prigione et al (44), who showed that PBMCs from mothers who did not transfer the infection to their fetuses induced the proliferation of CD8 + active cytotoxic T cells after stimulation in vitro with T. gondii antigens. Moreover, T. gondii-specific CD8 + T cells were described as good producers of IL-2, the immunological marker in nontransmitter women group mentioned previously (33).…”

Age-dependent impairment of functional helper T cell responses to immunodominant epitopes of Toxoplasma gondii antigens in congenitally infected individuals

“…Also, a high IFN-g:IL-4 ratio has been demonstrated for T cell lines and clones displaying a Th0 pattern from healthy individuals and pregnant women with chronic and primary T. gondii infection, respectively [27,29]. In contrast, other studies failed to detect the production of IL-4 by T cells from individuals with acquired or congenital toxoplasmosis, although low sensitivity assays for IL-4 detection (threshold around 2 pg/ml) have been employed [8,11,30].…”

“…In healthy infected individuals, production of IFN-g in response to either soluble tachyzoite extract or individual antigens has been widely demonstrated suggesting that a Th1 cytokine profile favors protection and control of infection [7e9, 26,27]. We investigated whether the restored helper T cell response in congenitally infected children differed in the cytokine expression from the corresponding response of immunocompetent adults with acquired infection.…”

The role of hormones on Toxoplasma gondii infection: a systematic review

“…During pregnancy, maternal hormones alter the immune responses of the mother in the presence of fetal antigens. The increases in the susceptibility to infection and a diminished pro-inflammatory response have critical anti-parasitic properties that cause an unfavorable development of toxoplasmosis (Craig et al, 2001 ; Roberts et al, 2001 ; Prigione et al, 2006 ; Dionne et al, 2012 ). In the second and third trimester of gestation, there is a significant increase of 17β-estradiol and progesterone levels and it is during this period, when the prevalence of Toxoplasma infection increases (Montoya and Remington, 2008 ; Al-warid and Al-qadhi, 2012 ).…”