title: Cellular immune reactions directed against Toxoplasma gondii with special emphasis on the central nervous system.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite which, after primary infection of humans, is maintained in a dormant state by the host cellular immune system. In the event of an acquired immunosuppression, those parasites surviving as dormant cysts in the host may undergo a change in status, proliferate and cause a life-threatening toxoplasmic encephalitis. Over the last decade much knowledge has accumulated concerning the immune response against T. gondii. This review focuses attention particularly on the anti-parasitic effector mechanisms and the cellular immune reactions in the central nervous system during the course of reactivated toxoplasmic encephalitis.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Med. Mikrobiologie und Virologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany. daeubene@mail.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Däubener
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hadding
mesh_terms: D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D016897:Respiratory Burst; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000276:immunology*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D014364:Tryptophan