Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T04:14:49.475Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Studies on a murine model of congenital toxoplasmosis: vertical disease transmission only occurs in BALB/c mice infected for the first time during pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

C. W. Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Immunology, The Todd Centre, 31 Taylor St, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NR
J. Alexander
Affiliation:
Department of Immunology, The Todd Centre, 31 Taylor St, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NR

Summary

The incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis was determined by an ELISA in the litters of BALB/c mice which had been infected 8 weeks before mating, on day 12 of pregnancy, or on both these occasions. Of those mice given the infection for the first time on day 12 of pregnancy, 5 out of 6 gave birth to infected litters with approximately 50% of the individuals in each litter being infected. BALB/c mice which had been infected 8 weeks before mating did not give birth to infected litters, even if they were reinfected on day 12 of pregnancy. Following infection BALB/c mice were found to harbour significantly fewer tissue cysts than the congenic H-2 derivative BALB/K strain. However, chronically infected BALB/K mice also failed to produce infected litters, indicating that tissue cyst burden in the dam did not influence congenital infection at least on the BALB background. This study demonstrates that BALB/c dams chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii, have immunity capable of protecting their embryos from congenital infection, even if the dams are reinfected during pregnancy. Our results demonstrate that the BALB/c mouse can be used as a model of human or ovine congenital T. gondii infection suitable for testing putative vaccines.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Beverley, J. K. A. (1959). Congenital transmission of toxoplasmosis through successive generations of mice. Nature, London 183, 1348–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beverley, J. K. A. & Watson, W. A. (1971). Prevention of experimental and naturally occurring ovine abortion due to toxoplasmosis. Veterinary Record 88, 3941.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bradford, M. M. (1976). A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilising the principle of protein dye binding. Analytical Biochemistry 72, 248–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, G. C. (1990). Toxoplasma gondii infection: a potential danger to the unborn fetus and AIDS sufferer. Quarterly Journal of Medicine 74, 273319.Google Scholar
De Roever–Bonnet, H. (1969). Congenital toxoplasmosis. Tropical and Geographical Medicine 21, 443–50.Google Scholar
Desmonts, G., Couvreur, J. & Thulliez, P. (1990). Congenital toxoplasmosis. Five cases with mother to child transmission of pre-pregnancy infection. Presse Medicale 19, 1445–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Dutton, G. N., Mcmenamin, P. G., Hay, J. & Cameron, S. (1986). The ultrastructural pathology of congenital murine toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Part II: the morphology of the inflammatory changes. Experimental Eye Research 43, 545–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eichenwald, H. (1948). Experimental toxoplasmosis. Transmission of the infection in utero and through the milk of lactating female mice. American Journal of Diseases of Children 76, 307–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hay, J., Hutchison, W. M., Lee, W. R. & Siim, J. C. (1981). Cataract in mice congenitally infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 75, 455–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hay, J., Graham, D. I., Hutchison, W. M., Lee, W. R. & Siim, J. C. (1985). Meningo-encephalitis accompanying retinochoroiditis in a murine model of congenital toxoplasmosis. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 79, 21–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, H. P. A. (1985). How important is Toxoplasmosis? Toxoplasmosis a neglected disease. Parasitology Today 1, 41–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutchison, W. M., Hay, J., Lee, W. R. & Siim, J. C. (1982). A study of cataract in murine congenital toxoplasmosis. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 76, 5370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jackson, M. H. & Hutchison, W. M. (1989). The prevalence and source of Toxoplasma infection in the environment. Advances in Parasitology 28, 5586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, A. M. (1984). Strain-dependent, route of challenge-dependent murine susceptibility to toxoplasmosis. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 70, 303–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, T. C. & Erb, P. (1985). H-2 complex linked resistance in murine toxoplasmosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases 151, 739–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Linklater, K. A. & Dyson, D. A. (1979). Field studies on enzootic abortion of ewes in South East Scotland. Veterinary Record 105, 387–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mcleod, R., Frenkel, J. K., Estees, R. G., Mack, D. G., Eisenhauer, P. B. & Gibori, G. (1988). Subcutaneous and intestinal vaccination with tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii and acquisition of immunity to peroral and congenital challenge. Journal of Immunology 140, 1632–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mcleod, R., Skamene, E., Brown, C. R., Eisenhauer, P. B. & Mack, D. G. (1989). Genetic regulation of early survival and cyst number after peroral Toxoplasma gondii infection of A x B/B x A recombinant inbred and B10 congenic mice. Journal of Immunology 143, 3031–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mcmenamin, P. G., Dutton, G. N., Hay, J. & Cameron, S. (1986). The ultrastructural pathology of congenital murine toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Part I: the localisation and morphology of Toxoplasma cysts in the retina. Experimental Eye Research 43, 529–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Remington, J. S., Jacobs, L. & Melton, M. L. (1961). Congenital transmission of toxoplasmosis from mother animals with acute and chronic infections. Journal of Infectious Diseases 108, 163–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suzuki, Y. & Kobayashi, A. (1990). Induction of tolerance to Toxoplasma gondii in newborn mice by maternal antibody. Parasitology Research 76, 424–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Voller, A., Bidwell, D. E., Bartlett, A., Fleck, D. G., Perkins, M. & Oldehin, B. (1976). A microplate enzyme–immunoassay for Toxoplasma antibody. Journal of Clinical Pathology 29, 150–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wildfuhr, G. (1954). Toxoplasmose. Jena: Gustav Fischer.Google Scholar
Williams, D. M., Grumet, F. C. & Remington, J. S. (1978). Genetic control of murine resistance to Toxoplasma gondii. Infection and Immunity 19, 416–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed