ABSTRACT
Objective:To assess the role of miRNA712_3p as a specific biomarker in early detection of toxoplasmosis in plasma of mice acutely infected with Toxoplasma gondii.Methods:Real-time PCR was used to measure the level of miRNA712_3p in plasma of infected mice. Immune-competent and immune-suppressed mice were examined, three and five days post-infection.Results:Results revealed significant up-regulation of plasma miRNA712_3p in both immune- competent and immune-compromised groups in comparison to the control non-infected group. Additionally, an increase in the level of miRNA712_3p was noticed correspondently in the parasite density detected in liver impression smears.Conclusions:miRNA712_3p can be used as a novel biomarker for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection in both immune-competent and immune-compromised host.