Toxoplasmosis gondii

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. At the same time, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis has been reported to be 30% worldwide. Traditional medicines have long played a vital role in discovering and developing novel drugs, and this approach is essential in the face of increasing resistance to current antimalarial and anti-Toxoplasma drugs. In Indonesian traditional medicine, various plants are used for their therapeutic properties...

The present in vitro and in vivo study aimed to fabricate and characterize linalool-zinc oxide nanoparticles (Lin-ZNP) and evaluate their effectiveness against Toxoplasma gondii infection in terms of inflammation, oxidative stress, and pathogenicity. Lin-ZNP was synthesized using an ethanolic solution of polyvinyl alcohol. The anti-Toxoplasma and cytotoxicity activities of Lin-ZNP were investigated, along with its effects on nitric oxide (NO) production, caspase-3 activity, and pro-inflammatory genes. After treating T...

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite affecting all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans. Infections in humans can lead to severe clinical manifestations in pregnant women and immunocompromised patients. The aim of the present study was to assess seroprevalence of T. gondii infection and to identify the associated risk factors among pregnant women from southern Algeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2021 to May 2022 among 1,345 pregnant women. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on risk factors associated with infection...

To defend against intracellular pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii, the host generates a robust type 1 immune response. Specifically, host defense against T. gondii is defined by an IL-12-dependent IFN-γ response that is critical for host resistance. Previously, we demonstrated that host resistance is mediated by T-bet-dependent ILC-derived IFN-γ by maintaining IRF8+ conventional type 1 dendritic cells during parasitic infection. Therefore, we hypothesized that innate lymphoid cells are indispensable for host survival...

Toxoplasmosis is a prevalent parasitic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii known to induce complex immune responses, to control the infection. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a cluster of small noncoding RNAs that are reported to have regulatory functions in the immune response. The objective of this study is to assess the expression of miR-155 and its targets, Src homology-2 domain-containing inositol 5- phosphatase 1 (SHIP-1) and suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1), in non-pregnant Iraqi women seropositive for toxoplasmosis...

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available in the existing literature regarding the seroepidemiology of T. gondii infection among cardiovascular patients. We aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence of T. gondii infection and associated risk factors among Romanian cardiovascular patients. METHODS: Serologic testing was conducted in 1205 patients with cardiovascular diseases to demonstrate the presence of T. gondii antibodies. An avidity test was performed in patients with detectable IgG and IgM antibodies...

This study presents an evaluation of seventeen newly produced recombinant trivalent chimeric proteins (containing the same immunodominant fragment of SAG1 and SAG2 of Toxoplasma gondii antigens, and an additional immunodominant fragment of one of the parasite antigens, such as AMA1, GRA1, GRA2, GRA5, GRA6, GRA7, GRA9, LDH2, MAG1, MIC1, MIC3, P35, and ROP1) as a potential alternative to the whole-cell tachyzoite lysate (TLA) used in the detection of infection in small ruminants. These recombinant proteins, obtained by genetic engineering and molecular biology methods, were tested for their reactivity with specific anti- Toxoplasma IgG antibodies contained in serum samples of small ruminants (192 samples of sheep serum and 95 samples of goat serum) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)...

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are closely related protozoan parasites that are considered important causes of abortion in livestock, causing huge economic losses. Hunan Province ranks 12th in the production of beef and mutton in China. However, limited data are available on the seroprevalence, risk factors and molecular characterization of T. gondii and N. caninum in beef cattle and goats in Hunan province, China. METHODS: Sera of 985 beef cattle and 1147 goats were examined for the presence of specific antibodies against T...

A prior investigation in 1993 identified a high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis (63%) in the Canary Islands. This study aims to assess the current prevalence of the disease in diverse population groups. The study was based on a population-scale screening involving 273 residents utilizing T. gondii IgG ELISA and a 20 year retrospective study (1998-2018). This included AIDS/HIV outpatients (1357, of which 324 were residents), AIDS/HIV hospitalized patients (741) and patients with fever of intermediate duration (158)...

In a representative sample of female children and adolescents in Germany, Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence was 6.3% (95% CI 4.7%-8.0%). With each year of life, the chance of being seropositive increased by 1.2, indicating a strong force of infection. Social status and municipality size were found to be associated with seropositivity.

Toxoplasmosis is a pathological condition induced by the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ), which has a notable affinity for the cellular components of the central nervous system. Over the decades, the relationship between toxoplasmosis and the development of psychiatric disorders has generated profound interest within the scientific community. Whether considering immunocompetent or immunocompromised patients, epidemiological studies suggest that exposure to T. gondii may be associated with a higher risk of certain psychiatric disorders...

PURPOSE: Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most widespread parasites in the human population globally. Several modes of its transmission have been proposed: some are well-researched and confirmed, others remain unconfirmed. One unconfirmed hypothesis pertains to potential transmission of Toxoplasma gondii via oral sex (fellatio) in humans. A recent study found tissue cysts in the semen of men with latent toxoplasmosis. Therefore, we aimed to test the hypothesis of Toxoplasma gondii transmission through oral sex experimentally...

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are two closely related protozoans that infect a wide range of animals, including birds. However, the occurrence of N. caninum and T. gondii in seabirds is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the presence of T. gondii and N. caninum DNA in tissue samples of seabirds. Tissue samples of the pectoral muscles, heart, and brain were collected from 47 birds along the coastline of Santa Catarina State, SC, Brazil. The DNA was extracted from the tissues and screened using nested-PCR (nPCR) targeting internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1)...

Synanthropic rodents play a crucial role in maintaining the life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii in anthropized regions and can serve as indicators of environmental oocyst contamination. This investigation aimed to explore the occurrence of T. gondii infection within synanthropic rodent populations using a molecular diagnostic technique targeting the 18S rDNA gene, which is generic for Coccidia, with subsequent specific PCR confirmation. We examined 97 brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus ), 67 black rats ( R. rattus ), 47 house mice ( Mus musculus ), and 1 common shrew ( Sorex araneus )...

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of miltefosine on Toxoplasma gondii RH strain by various techniques. METHODS: The study was conducted at the Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Iran in 2020. Four groups of five BALB/c mice were selected. The cytotoxicity test was conducted by adding miltefosine to T. gondii tachyzoites; control tachyzoites received PBS and MTT assay was done on each suspension...

Neosporosis and toxoplasmosis are important parasitic causes of abortions in small ruminants. This study verified the occurrence of these diseases in sheep fetuses from Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil from 2015 to 2022. Sheep fetuses were necropsied with organ sampling for histopathology, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii using the Nc5 and SAG2 targets, respectively, in frozen brain tissue. Microbiological culture and RT-PCR for Pestivirus were conducted to discard other abortion causes...

The present experimental survey designed to green synthesis, characterization, as well as in vitro and in vivo anti-Toxplasma gondii activity of silver nanoparticles (SLN) green synthesized by Lupinus arcticus extract. SLN were green synthesized based on the reducing by L. arcticus extract through the precipitation technique. In vitro lethal effects of SLN on T. gondii tachyzoites, infectivity rate, parasites inside of the human macrophage cells (THP-1 cells), nitric oxide (NO) triggering, and iNOS and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) expression genes were evaluated...

Toxoplasmosis is a frequent infection among the human population. The infection can cause devastating complications for the fetus during pregnancy. The present study aimed to determine the serological and molecular prevalence of the infection and molecular characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates among pregnant women referred to Kowsar Hospital, Urmia, Iran. In a cross-sectional study, 340 blood samples were collected from pregnant women referred to Kowsar Hospital, Urmia, Iran from May to July 2022. Anti-T...

Toxoplasmosis, an infectious disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, poses varying degrees of risk, ranging from asymptomatic cases in immunocompetent individuals to severe, life-threatening conditions in immunocompromised individuals and developing fetuses, especially when infection occurs during early pregnancy. While the disease is endemic in Iraq, there is a notable lack of precise information regarding its seroprevalence among females of childbearing age and pregnant women, along with associated risk factors in the Zakho district...

Susceptibility to COVID-19, the most devastating global pandemic, appears to vary widely across different population groups. Exposure to toxoplasmosis has been proposed as a theory to explain the diversity of these populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible association between latent toxoplasmosis and COVID-19 and its probable correlation with markers of oxidative stress, C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin. In a case-control study, blood samples were collected from 91 confirmed (48 non-pneumonic; NP, and 43 pneumonic; P) COVID-19 patients and 45 healthy controls...