ABSTRACT
Objective: To identify more effective and less toxic drugs to treat animal toxoplasmosis.Methods:Efficacy of seven kinds of sulfonamides against Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in an acute murine model was evaluated. The mice used throughout the study were randomly assigned to many groups (10 mice each), which either remained uninfected or were infected intraperitoneally with tachyzoites of T. gondii (strains RH and CN). All groups were then treated with different sulfonamides and the optimal treatment protocol was determined candidates. Sulfadiazine-sodium (SD) was used for comparison. Results: The optimal therapy involved gavaging mice twice per day with 250 mg/kg bw of sulfachloropyrazine-sodium (SPZ) for five days. Using this protocol, the average survival time and the time-point of 50% fatalities were prolonged significantly compared with SD treatment. Treatment with SPZ protected 40% of mice from death, and the heart and kidney tissue of these animals was parasite-free, as determined by nested-PCR. SPZ showed excellent therapeutic effects in the treatment of T. gondii in an acute murine model and is therefore a promising drug candidate for the treatment and prevention of T. gondii in animals. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the effective drug sulfachloropyrazine may be the new therapeutic options against animal toxoplasmosis.
ABSTRACT
In order to study the functions of the HSPs (Heat shock proteins) of Eimeria tenella, we cloned a novel gene (which designated EtHSP) coding HSP of Eimeria tenella by RT-PCR and RACE (Rapid-amplification of cDNA ends). The full-length cDNA sequence of EtHSP was 1802 bp, containing a 1455 bp ORF (Open reading frame) (GenBank Accession No. FJ911605) encoding a deduced protein of 484 amino acids. Real-time PCR revealed that the mRNA level of EtHSP was much higher in sporozoites of E. tenella than other developmental stages (unsporulated oocysts, sporulated oocysts and merozoites). We constructed the recombinant plasmids pET28a(+)-EtHSP, then transformed it into E. coli BL21(DE3) for expression. SDS-PAGE indicated that the fusion protein was expressed in included bodies, with peak expression 6 h after induction by IPTG Western blotting revealed that the protein was specifically recognized by polyclonal antibodies against E. tenella, showing that the fusion protein was native antigen.