The use of PCR in detecting toxoplasma parasites in the blood and brains of mice experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been extensively used for diagnosis recently because of its very high sensitivity and specificity. We studied the applicability of PCR to the early diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in a murine model orally infected with Toxoplasma gondii (S-273). PCR was performed using EH24 and HE27 primers synthesized by the phosphoramidite method. Mice blood and brains collected on various post infection days (PID) were analysed by PCR (35 cycles). A portion of the brain tissue from each mouse was examined microscopically for the presence of parasite cysts. Blood and brain PCR were positive on the 9th and 12th day post-infection (DPI). Toxoplasma cysts in brain tissue appeared only on the 18th PID. The results showed that Toxoplasma parasites can be detected earlier in the blood than in the brain during primary infection, indicating that blood PCR is the more useful procedure.
Shibata
H
H
Department of Clinical Pathology, Hyogo College of Medicine.
Rai
S K
SK
Satoh
M
M
Murakoso
K
K
Sumi
K
K
Uga
S
S
Matsumura
T
T
Matsuoka
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*