Murine neonatal infection provides an efficient model for congenital ocular toxoplasmosis.
Congenital infection is one of the most serious settings of infection with the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Ocular diseases, such as retinochoroiditis, are the most common sequels of such infection in utero. However, while numerous studies have investigated the physiopathology of acquired toxoplasmosis, congenital infection has been largely neglected so far. Here, we establish a mouse model of congenital ocular toxoplasmosis. Parasite load and ocular pathology have been followed for the first 4 weeks of life. Ocular infection developed slowly compared to cerebral infection. Even after 4 weeks, not all eyes were infected and ocular parasite load was low. Therefore, we evaluated a scheme of neonatal infection to overcome problems associated with congenital infection. Development of infection and physiopathology was similar, but at a higher, more reliable rate. In summary, we have established a valuable model of neonatal ocular toxoplasmosis, which facilitates the research of the underlying physiopathological mechanisms and new diagnostic approaches of this pathology.
Lahmar
Ibtissem
I
Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale, EA 4438, Université de Strasbourg, France.
Guinard
Marie
M
Sauer
Arnaud
A
Marcellin
Luc
L
Abdelrahman
Tamer
T
Roux
Michel
M
Mousli
Marc
M
Moussa
Adnan
A
Babba
Hamouda
H
Pfaff
Alexander W
AW
Candolfi
Ermanno
E
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005123:Eye / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000469:parasitology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000151:congenital / Q000469:parasitology; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000469:parasitology; D014126:Toxoplasmosis, Ocular / Q000151:congenital* / Q000469:parasitology
D016054:DNA, Protozoan