title: Dextran sulfate inhibits acute Toxoplama gondii infection in pigs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Toxoplasma gondii is a highly prevalent protozoan that can infect all warm-blooded animals, including humans. Its definitive hosts are Felidae and its intermediate hosts include various other mammals and birds, including pigs. It is found in the meat of livestock which is a major source of human infection. Hence the control of toxoplasmosis in pigs is important for public health. We previously showed that dextran sulfate (DS), especially DS10 (dextran sulfate MW 10 kDa), is effective against T. gondii infection both in vitro and in mice. In this study, we asked whether DS affects T. gondii infection of pigs, one of the main animal sources of toxoplasmosis transmission to humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen-day-old male pigs (n = 10) were infected with T. gondii and then immediately treated with different doses of DS10; clinical, pathological, and immunological analyses were performed 5 days post-infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DS10 had an inhibitory effect on toxoplasmosis in pigs. Intravenous injection of DS10 prevented the symptoms of toxoplasmosis and reduced the parasite burden and inflammation induced by T. gondii infection. High-dose DS10 (500 μg per head) caused reversible hepatocellular degeneration of the liver; middle-dose DS10 (50 μg per head) was effective against toxoplasmosis in pigs without causing this side effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that middle-dose DS10 led to minimal clinical symptoms of T. gondii infection and caused little hepatocellular degeneration in our pig model, thereby demonstrating its potential as a new treatment for toxoplasmosis. These data should be very beneficial to those interested in the control of toxoplasmosis in pigs.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. kkato@obihiro.ac.jp.|Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan. kkato@obihiro.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. y.murata0214@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yuho
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. horiuchi@obihiro.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan. kitto.miageta.sorawa.aoku@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. alaaterkawi@obihiro.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Mohamad Alaa
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Terkawi
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. ishiwaakiko@yahoo.co.jp.|Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan. ishiwaakiko@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishiwa
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 3-1-5 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0856, Japan. ogawaa@affrc.go.jp.
authors.forename: Yohsuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. fukumoto@obihiro.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. matsuf@cc.saga-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Fumikazu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Matsuhisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. kenji551@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koyama
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000473:pathology; D016264:Dextran Sulfate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D013552:Swine; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000187:drug effects*; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D016264:Dextran Sulfate