Quantitative assessment of the effects of sulfamethoxazole on Toxoplasma gondii loads in susceptible WT C57BL/6 mice as an immunocompetent host model. Issue 1 (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Belal, Usama S.; Norose, Kazumi; Mohamed, Rabie M.; Sekine, Shuichi; Nukaga, Takumi; Ito, Kousei; Abdellatif, Manal Z.; Abdelgelil, Noha H.; Yano, Akihiko
• Is Part Of: Parasitology international. Volume 65:Issue 1(2016:Feb.)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 4
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: Toxoplasma gondii -- Immunocompetent hosts -- Sulfamethoxazole -- QC-PCR; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Parasites -- Periodicals; Parasitic Diseases -- Periodicals; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Parasitologie -- Périodiques; 571.99905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.09.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1383-5769

Abstract

Abstract: The abundance of Toxoplasma gondii with or without sulfamethoxazole (SMX) treatment was evaluated with quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction in various organs of wild-type C57BL/6 mice, a susceptible immunocompetent host, after peroral infection with a cyst-forming Fukaya strain of T. gondii . SMX affected different organs in three ways: T. gondii was reduced independently of SMX (skin and kidney); T. gondii was not eradicated with continuous treatment (brain, heart, and lung); and T. gondii was eradicated with continuous treatment (tongue, skeletal muscle, and small intestine). The SMX concentrations in the brains, hearts, and lungs were higher in infected mice than in uninfected mice. These results indicate that even in an immunocompetent host, chemotherapy is necessary to reduce the parasite load and thus reduce the risk of recurrent disease. Graphical abstract: Highlights: We evaluated the effects of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on T. gondii in C57BL/6 mice. SMX prolonged the survival time and decreased the parasite loads in the organs. SMX could not eradicate T . gondii from the brain, heart and lung. SMX concentration was higher in the infected mice than in the uninfected mice.