Effect of the strain of Toxoplasma gondii on the development of toxoplasmic encephalitis in mice treated with antibody to interferon-gamma

Yasuhiro Suzuki, Kensuke Joh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

To examine whether differences observed in the development of toxoplasmic encephalitis between strains of Toxoplasma gondii are determined by the numbers of cysts occurring in the brain, C57BL/10 mice were infected with ten cysts of the ME49, Beverley, or C56 strain of the parasite. At 10 weeks after infection, the numbers of cysts and inflammatory changes in the brains of the mice were examined in each of the experimental groups. The ME49 strain formed significantly more cysts than did the other two strains, with no difference in the number of cysts being noted between the Beverley and C56 strains. Mice infected with the ME49 strain showed infiltration of inflammatory mononuclear cells in both the meninges and the parenchyma of their brains, whereas mice infected with the Beverley or C56 strain showed no inflammatory changes in their brains. Treatment of mice with a monolonal antibody to interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) once weekly for 3 weeks beginning at 10 weeks after infection augmented the inflammatory changes in the brains of mice infected with each strain. However, the intensity of the inflammatory changes differed significantly between the mice, depending on the strain of T. gondii with which they were infected. Mice infected with the ME49 strain showed the most remarkable inflammatory changes in their brains. Mice infected with the Beverley strain developed foci of acute inflammation in their brains after treatment with an antibody to IFN-γ. In contrast, mice infected with the C56 strain did not have such inflammatory changes, although mice infected with the Beverley or C56 strain had similar numbers of cysts in their brains before they were treated with anti-IFN-γ antibody. These results indicate the presence of a factor(s) related to the strain of T. gondii that determines the development of toxoplasmic encephalitis in addition to the factors determining the numbers of cysts occurring in the brain.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)125-130
Number of pages6
JournalParasitology Research
Volume80
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1994

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Parasitology
  • General Veterinary
  • Insect Science
  • Infectious Diseases

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