Journal article
Pathogenicity of selected Toxoplasma gondii isolates in young pigs
Adaptive Immunology & Parasitology, Division of Veterinary Diagnostics and Research, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark1
Division of Veterinary Diagnostics and Research, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark2
National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark3
Innate Immunology, Division of Veterinary Diagnostics and Research, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark4
Section for Veterinary Diagnostics, Division of Veterinary Diagnostics and Research, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark5
Section for Veterinary Epidemiology and public sector consultancy, Division of Veterinary Diagnostics and Research, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark6
The pathogenicity in 7-week-old pigs to five different Toxoplasma gondii strains of various host species origin was compared after i.v. inoculation of 10(4) tachyzoites. Additionally, one group of pigs was inoculated i.v. with 10(6) tachyzoites of the reference strain, SSI 119. In response to the infection a significant effect of T. gondii tachyzoite inoculation dose as well as differences among strains could be observed in several parameters.
The 10(6)-dose inoculated pigs showed variable degrees of clinical illness and recurrent episodes of fever 4-17 days p.i., while pigs of four of the 10(4) tachyzoite inoculated groups experienced a short-lived rise in body temperature from day 6-8 p.i. without any apparent illness or inappetence. Control pigs and pigs infected with the least pathogenic strain had normal body temperature throughout the experiment.
In all inoculated pigs, T. gondii-specific IgM and IgG antibodies appeared from day 8-10 and 10-17 p.i., respectively. Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase and the acute phase protein haptoglobin were decreased or increased, respectively, in response to the infection. Differential leukocyte count on peripheral blood revealed a significant lymphocytopenia on day 6 p.i. equal to both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, but shifting towards a reduced ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T-cells from day 8-14 p.i.
In the 10(6)-dose inoculated pigs a considerable increase in zymosan induced and spontaneous oxidative burst capacity of peripheral blood leukocytes was observed from 6 days p.i. compared with control pigs. Oxidative burst capacity was not examined for other pigs. In conclusion, several useful parameters to identify differences in T. gondii pathogenicity other than mortality were identified.
Furthermore, even at low doses, significant differences between recently collected Danish T. gondii field isolates were demonstrated after i.v. inoculation in young pigs.
Language: | English |
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Year: | 1999 |
Pages: | 1307-1319 |
ISSN: | 18790135 and 00207519 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1016/S0020-7519(99)00078-8 |
ORCIDs: | Jungersen, Gregers and Heegaard, Peter M. H. |