Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.1
3.7
Journals
Pathogens
Special Issues
Toxoplasma gondii in Animals
share announcement

Toxoplasma gondii in Animals

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 5976

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paştiu Anamaria Ioana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Genetics and Hereditary Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
Interests: Toxoplasma gondii; animals; immunology; epidemiology; molecular genetics
Dr. Anna M. F. Marino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: toxoplasmosis; zoonoses; one health; food safety; animal health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease that qualifies as a One Health disease, and it is produced by a coccidian parasite from the Sarcocystidae family, Toxoplasma gondii. All warm-blooded animals, including humans and birds, are involved in the life cycle of the parasite. T. gondii represents a significant public health problem worldwide. In addition to congenital transmission, T. gondii may cause severe clinical symptoms in immune-compromised humans. It is estimated that up to one third of the human population worldwide is T. gondii-seropositive. Domestic livestock, wild animals, poultry and wild birds represent an important source of human food, but they may also represent a significant source of zoonotic parasites. Consumption of T. gondii-infected undercooked meat can be a potential risk for human and animal contamination.

This Special Issue aims to bring together original papers and reviews on the latest findings on Toxoplasma gondii in various species of domestic and wild animals: immunology, epidemiology, molecular genetics, and the phylogenetic evolution of the parasite. It should also focus on:

  • Enhancing research to develop effective vaccines for responsive species;
  • New on-farm strategies to reduce the risk of infection;
  • Update on innovative techniques (methods and aids) for disinfecting farms’ premises.

Dr. Paştiu Anamaria Ioana
Dr. Anna M. F. Marino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Toxoplasma gondii
  • animals
  • immunology
  • epidemiology
  • molecular genetics

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 3576 KiB  
Article
Toxoplasma gondii Reactivation Aggravating Cardiac Function Impairment in Mice
by Linding Xie, Yien Xing, Jun Yang, Min Liu and Yihong Cai
Pathogens 2023, 12(8), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12081025 - 09 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1190
Abstract
Background: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) reactivation is common, especially among immunocompromised individuals, such as AIDS patients. The cardiac involvement associated with toxoplasmosis, however, is usually obscured by neurological deterioration. The aim of this study was to observe the alterations in cardiac [...] Read more.
Background: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) reactivation is common, especially among immunocompromised individuals, such as AIDS patients. The cardiac involvement associated with toxoplasmosis, however, is usually obscured by neurological deterioration. The aim of this study was to observe the alterations in cardiac functions in various landmark periods after infection and to assess whether reactivation more seriously damages the heart. Methods: We established three infection models in mice using TgCtwh6, a major strain of T. gondii prevalent in China. The groups included an acute group, chronic latent group, and reactivation group. We evaluated the cardiac function impairment via H & E staining, Masson staining, echocardiography, myocardial enzyme profiles, and cardiac troponin, and detected the expression of inflammatory factors and antioxidant factors with Western blotting. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of the macrophage marker F4/80. Results: Our results showed that damage to the heart occurred in the acute and reactivation groups. Impaired cardiac function manifested as a decrease in heart rate and a compensatory increase in left ventricular systolic function. Serum levels of cardiac enzymes also increased dramatically. In the chronic phase, myocardial fibrosis developed, diastolic functions became severely impaired, inflammation persisted, and macrophage expression was slightly reduced. Ultimately, reactivation infection exacerbated damage to cardiac function in mice, potentially leading to diastolic heart failure. Macrophages were strongly activated, and myocardial fibrosis was increased. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of the heart was severely affected by the infection. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggested that the reactivation of T. gondii infection could aggravate injury to the heart, which could be associated with a host-cell-mediated immune response and strong cytokine production by macrophages, thus representing a novel insight into the pathogenic mechanism of toxoplasmosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxoplasma gondii in Animals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Rodents as Sentinels for Toxoplasma gondii in Rural Ecosystems in Slovakia—Seroprevalence Study
by Daniela Antolová, Michal Stanko, Júlia Jarošová and Dana Miklisová
Pathogens 2023, 12(6), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12060826 - 12 Jun 2023
Viewed by 949
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular parasite with felids as definitive hosts and a broad range of intermediate hosts. Rodents are considered suitable sentinels for prevalence studies of many infections, including toxoplasmosis. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in [...] Read more.
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous intracellular parasite with felids as definitive hosts and a broad range of intermediate hosts. Rodents are considered suitable sentinels for prevalence studies of many infections, including toxoplasmosis. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in rodents from different localities of Slovakia and investigate the correlation between the seropositivity and the species, age, sex, and sexual activity of animals. Altogether, 1009 wild rodents belonging to 9 species were trapped in 2015 and 2019, and antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 6.7% of the animals. Seropositivity was detected in seven species, ranging from 0.0% in Micromys minutus and Apodemus sylvaticus to 7.7% in A. flavicollis. The females reached significantly higher seropositivity (9.7%) than the males (3.8%), and the adults were positive significantly more often (9.2%) than the subadults (4.9%). The seropositivity differed also among localities, with significantly higher positivity detected in suburban and touristic areas (12.2%) than in localities with a lower level of human activities (5.5%). This study showed that the occurrence of T. gondii varies significantly in rodent species and habitats with various environmental conditions and different levels of anthropic use. Several biological and ecological factors, e.g., soil contamination, soil conditions, the susceptibility of rodent species etc., may influence this variability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxoplasma gondii in Animals)
10 pages, 847 KiB  
Article
Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy
by Hiba Dakroub, Giovanni Sgroi, Nicola D’Alessio, Danilo Russo, Francesco Serra, Vincenzo Veneziano, Simona Rea, Alessia Pucciarelli, Maria Gabriella Lucibelli, Esterina De Carlo, Giovanna Fusco and Maria Grazia Amoroso
Pathogens 2023, 12(3), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 - 16 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1563
Abstract
Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans and cases of congenital transmission. [...] Read more.
Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans and cases of congenital transmission. Humans can be infected by ingestion of raw meat containing bradyzoites or water contaminated by oocysts. In our study, we assessed the potential circulation of Toxoplasma gondii in wild mammals by performing surveillance in the Campania region (southern Italy) and surveyed its presence from 2020 to 2022 within the framework of the Regional Plans for Wildlife Surveillance. In detail, 211 individuals belonging to five wild mammals (wolf, fox, wild boar, badger, and roe deer) underwent necropsy and the organs were analyzed by real-time PCR for the detection of the parasite. Toxoplasma gondii was found in 21.8% (46/211) of the subjects examined. No statistically significant differences were noticed between the prevalence and the host’s trophic level or age, rejecting the hypotheses that Toxoplasma gondii will have a higher prevalence in top predators and adult individuals, respectively. Our work emphasized the high circulation of Toxoplasma gondii in wildlife and remarked on the critical role of anthropized areas where domestic cats and wildlife may come into contact, urging a systematic surveillance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxoplasma gondii in Animals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2537 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies and DNA in Raw Milk of Various Ruminants in Egypt
by Ragab M. Fereig, Hanan H. Abdelbaky, Amira M. Mazeed, El-Sayed El-Alfy, Somaya Saleh, Mosaab A. Omar, Abdullah F. Alsayeqh and Caroline F. Frey
Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111305 - 07 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1589
Abstract
The prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in raw milk samples was estimated in different ruminants and Egyptian governorates. Of 13 bulk milk samples tested by ELISA, five (38.5%) were positive for antibodies to N. caninum, and two samples were [...] Read more.
The prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in raw milk samples was estimated in different ruminants and Egyptian governorates. Of 13 bulk milk samples tested by ELISA, five (38.5%) were positive for antibodies to N. caninum, and two samples were additionally positive for antibodies to T. gondii, resulting in a seroprevalence of 15.4% for both T. gondii and co-infection. In individual milk samples (n = 171) from the same bulks, antibodies to N. caninum were detected in 25.7%, to T. gondii in 14%, and 3.5% had antibodies to both parasites. A strong correlation between the OD values of the bulk samples and of the relevant individual milk samples was found for T. gondii (Pearson r = 0.9759) and moderately strong for N. caninum (Pearson r = 0.5801). Risk factor assessment for individual milk samples revealed that antibodies to T. gondii were significantly influenced by animal species, while no risk factors were detected for N. caninum antibodies. Additionally, DNA of N. caninum was detected in a bulk milk sample of cattle for the first time in Egypt, and DNA of T. gondii was found in bulk milk samples of cattle, sheep and goats. This is the first study in Egypt in which bulk milk samples of different ruminants were tested for the presence of N. caninum and T. gondii antibodies and DNA. Both individual and bulk milk samples are useful tools for monitoring antibody response to N. caninum and T. gondii infections in different ruminants in Egypt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxoplasma gondii in Animals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop