title: Toxoplasma gondii: congenital transmission in a hamster model.
abstract: The objective of the research was to test the hamster for a model of transmission of congenital toxoplasmosis. A non-invasive method for the diagnosis of pregnancy in hamsters was designed, with a specificity and a sensitivity of 70.2 and 94.7%, respectively (n=168). Of 32 females with a chronic toxoplasma infection, 3 transmitted Toxoplasma congenitally during their first pregnancy, but not during the subsequent pregnancy. Congenital transmission rates of infections initiated during pregnancy with 2 stages of 2 strains of Toxoplasma were in the range of 33 to 100% of the 76 females inoculated. Only 1 of 17 females transmitted the parasite exclusively via milk. It was concluded that the hamster is a promising species for a model of transmission of congenital toxoplasmosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Toxoplasmosis, Departamento de Parasitología, Alberto Lasplaces 1550, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay. freyrealvaro@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freyre
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Fialho
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bigatti
authors.forename: F A P
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Falcón
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001681:Biological Assay; D002415:Cats; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008647:Mesocricetus; D051379:Mice; D008892:Milk / Q000469:parasitology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000469:parasitology*; D011258:Pregnancy Tests; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000151:congenital* / Q000635:transmission; D014125:Toxoplasmosis, Congenital / Q000635:transmission*