In vivo characterization of a Toxoplasma gondii strain TgCatJpTy1/k-3 isolated from a stray cat in Japan. (February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Masatani, Tatsunori; Oyamada, Shohei; Inoue, Ryota; Tsujio, Masashi; Hatai, Hitoshi; Matsui, Toshihiro; Matsuo, Tomohide
• Is Part Of: Parasitology international. Volume 74(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Subjects: Toxoplasma gondii -- Cyst -- Genotype II -- Mouse -- Pathogenesis; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Parasites -- Periodicals; Parasitic Diseases -- Periodicals; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Parasitologie -- Périodiques; 571.99905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.101995
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1383-5769

Abstract

Abstract: The Toxoplasma gondii strain TgCatJpTy1/k-3 (K-3), isolated from a stray cat in Tokyo, Japan, is categorized as a type II genotype. Since the K-3 strain is empirically known to form relatively larger cysts and exhibit weak pathogenesis in a mouse, it could serve as a useful model organism to study chronic T. gondii infection in the host. However, a detailed biological characterization of this strain had not been performed. In this study, we thoroughly assessed the K-3 strain in vivo using a mouse model. Tests indicated that pathogenicity of the K-3 strain was lower than that of the PLK strain, a clonal laboratory strain with a moderately pathogenic type II genotype. Further, cyst sizes of the K-3 strain were significantly larger than those of the PLK strain. Interestingly, K-3 cyst sizes in T. gondii -resistant ICR mice were larger than those in T. gondii -susceptible C57BL/6N mice. Our study suggests that the K-3 strain is suitable to study T. gondii cystogenesis and chronic infection, which are currently difficult to analyze using cell-adopted T. gondii strains.