Comparison of histopathology and PCR based assay for detection of experimentally induced toxoplasmosis in murine model

OBJECTIVE@#To compare histopathology and PCR based detection in diagnosis of experimentally induced toxoplasmosis of RH human strain of the parasite in murine models.@*METHODS@#A comparison of histopathology and PCR based detection was done to diagnose experimentally induced toxoplasmosis in ten inbred swiss albino mice after intraperitoneal inoculation of 100 tachyzoites of laboratory mantained human RH strain of the parasite. Tissue samples from lung, liver, spleen, brain, heart and kidney were taken and processed for histopathological examination while all the samples also were subjected to PCR, using primers directed to the multicopy of SAG 3 gene, in dublicates.@*RESULTS@#Histopathology revealed presence of tachyzoites only in liver while along with lung, liver, spleen and brain tissue yielded desired positive PCR amplicons.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The SAG 3 based PCR is able to diagnose toxoplasmosis in those tissues which are declared negative by histopathological assay.

insight into the behavior, course and kinetics of acute infection of toxoplasma gondii human rh strain in experimentally infected murine model

Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan parasite, is capable of infecting a broad range of intermediate warm-blooded hosts including humans. The parasite seems to be capable of altering the natural behavior of the host to favor its transmission in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the course, alterations in behavior along with normal kinetics of the abnormally induced experimental acute toxoplasmosis in murine models. Ten Swiss albino mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with 100 virulent RH strain tachyzoites and finally, the alterations in behavior were described and compared with other known alterations in humans and animals. The behavior and the other symptoms of the acute toxoplasmosis were recorded. Such mice showed typical symptoms like normal coat, severe ascites with pendulous abdomen and tachypnoea exhibited by resting fore legs either on walls of the cage, or nozzle of water bottle or other resting mice and yielded a creamy colored cloudy natured peritoneal fluid on aspiration. Finally the alterations in behavior were described and compared with other known alterations in humans and animals. The study has generated some important data related to possible causes of behavioral alterations and generation of suitable strategies for control of these alterations in behavior vis-a'-vis better understanding of the effect of acute infection of parasite on normal behavior of infected intermediate host