title: Cerebellar ataxia due to Toxocara infection in Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus.
abstract: We assessed the usefulness of gerbils as an experimental model for neurologic toxocarosis. Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, infected with Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati (1000 eggs/gerbil) showed progressive neurologic disorders from 50 days after infection in T. canis-infected gerbils or from 120 days after infection in T. cati-infected gerbils. The incidence of the onset was 6 of the 13 gerbils (49%) in the T. canis-gerbils and 5 of the 7 gerbils (71%) in the T. cati-gerbils. Histopathologically, the cerebellum was the most affected in both groups. We observed loss of Purkinje cells, glial nerve fibers, and nerve sheaths. We also found foci consisting of aggregated macrophages scattered in the white matter of the cerebellum. The affected gerbils showed ataxia and ultimately died of cachexia. Our findings suggest that irreversible neurologic toxocarosis in gerbils can be induced by infection with either T. canis or T. cati.
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Parasitology, Graduate School of Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Yushima 1-5-45, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. ochoa.vip@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akao
authors.forename: Misato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomoda
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu-Suganuma
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shichinohe
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000469:parasitology*