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Re-examination of resistance of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites to pepsin and trypsin digestion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1998

J. P. DUBEY
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Livestock and Poultry Sciences Institute, Parasite Biology and Epidemiology Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350, USA

Abstract

The effect of digestion in trypsin and acid pepsin on Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites was re-evaluated because of recent use of this method to distinguish tachyzoites from bradyzoites. Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites survived better in 0·5% trypsin solution for 1 h than in 1·0% solution, and occasionally survived for 2 h in acid pepsin solution. Extracellular tachyzoites ([ges ]1000) were also infectious orally to mice and cats. Bradyzoites survived equally in trypsin and acid pepsin solutions but the digestion of brain tissue in 0·5% trypsin solution was better than in acid pepsin solution. The resistance to digestion in acid pepsin solution is not a reliable method to distinguish tachyzoites from bradyzoites.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1998 Cambridge University Press

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