• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2020

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects approximately one third of the human population worldwide. Considering the toxicity and side effects of anti-toxoplasma medications, it is important to develop effective drug alternatives with fewer and less severe off-target effects. In this study, we found that 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBA) induced autophagy and the expression of NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) in primary murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Interestingly, treatment of BMDMs with 4-HBA significantly reduced the number of macrophages infected with T. gondii and the proliferation of T. gondii in infected cells. This effect was impaired by pretreating the macrophages with 3-methyladenine or wortmannin (selective autophagy inhibitors) or with sirtinol or EX527 (SIRT1 inhibitors). Moreover, we found that pharmacological inhibition of SIRT1 prevented 4-HBA-mediated expression of LC3-phosphatidylethanolamine conjugate (LC3-II) and the colocalization of T. gondii parasitophorous vacuoles with autophagosomes in BMDMs. These data suggest that 4-HBA promotes antiparasitic host responses by activating SIRT1-mediated autophagy, and 4-HBA might be a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.245-250
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• 2011

In the present study, we carried out a seropositive survey of Neospora (N) caninum and Toxoplasma (T) gondii in cattle at northern area of Gyeongnam province, Korea. Serum sample was obtained from Holstein cattle (n=248, 44 farms in 5 counties) and Korean indigenous cattle (n=120, 23 farms in 4 counties). All 368 sera were tested for antibodies to N. caninum and T. gondii by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seropositive of N. caninum at farm and heads were 41.8% (28/67) and 12.8% (47/368), respectively. Twenty-five cattle (6.8%) were seropositive to T. gondii, and eighteen (26.9%) of 67 studied farms had cows seropositive to T. gondii. The seroprevalence of Holstein cattle was much higher than that of Korean indigenous cattle. There was no apparent association of T. gondii seropositivity with age, while the seropositivity for N. caninum was associated with cattle age. The farm of cattle above the age of 5 years (16.8%) was more infective than less than 4 years (9.3%). This is the first report on seroprevalence of N. canium and T. gondii in Holstein and Korean indigenous cattle in Gyeongnam, Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.583-593
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• 1995

The present study was conducted to develop a toxoplasma latex agglutination test antigen(Test-MT) and evaluate the toxoplasma latex agglutination(LA) test using a newly-made "Test-MT kit" by comparing with the Toxo-MT kit(Eiken chemical co, Tokyo). Also, the specifity and sensitivity test were made by comparing with IFA test and IgG-ELISA. Tachyzoite suspensions of Toxoplasma gondii(RH strain) were ultracentrifuged for 30min at $60,000{\times}g(4^{\circ}C)$ and the supernatant was used as a water-lysate antigen. Polystyrene latex particles of $1.0{\mu}m$ in diameter(Polyscience co) were used for the preparation of sensitized latex-antigen supension(Test-MT). The frequency distribution of LA titers in Test-MT showed two peaks at <1:32 and 1:128. The borderline titer for positive test in Test-MT was determined to be 1:64. But the frequency distribution of LA tites in Toxo-MT showed two peaks at <1:16 and 1:64. The positive borderline was determined to be 1:32. Agreement of reactions between Test-MT and Toxo-MT kit by LA test was shown 92.5% in bovine sera and 97.0% in swine sera, respectively. From the results obtained here it was determined that the sensitized latex-antigen, Test-MT kit, for the microtiter agglutination test prepared as same as by the procedure described in the previous paper(Suh and Lee, 1993) was useful as a highly specific, sensitive and stable immunotiteration reagent for serodiagnosis of toxoplasma infection in animal sera.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.201-204
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• 2016

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan that can modulate the environment of the infected host. An unfavorable environment modulated by T. gondii in the brain includes tumor microenvironment. Literature has suggested that T. gondii infection is associated with development of brain tumors. However, in Korea, epidemiological data regarding this correlation have been scarce. In this study, in order to investigate the relationship between T. gondii infection and brain tumor development, we investigated the seroprevalence of T. gondii among 93 confirmed brain tumor patients (various histological types, including meningioma and astrocytoma) in Korea using ELISA. The results revealed that T. gondii seropositivity among brain tumor patients (18.3%) was significantly (P<0.05) higher compared with that of healthy controls (8.6%). The seropositivity of brain tumor patients showed a significant age-tendency, i.e., higher in younger age group, compared with age-matched healthy controls (P<0.05). In conclusion, this study supports the close relationship between T. gondii infection and incidence of brain tumors.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2017

Objectives: The Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular opportunistic protozoan parasite that infects approximately one-third of the human population worldwide. Honey has long been used for treatment of many diseases in folk medicine. Honey has exhibited significant anthelmintic, nematicidal and anti-protozoal activities. This study was conducted to investigate the immunological patterns in rats infected with T. gondii who were treated orally with supplemented 15% Capparis spinosa honey (Saudi Arabia) for a period of 28 days. Methods: Immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin G, and cytokines were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). In addition, the mortality and the morbidity rates were assessed. Results: Oral administration of Capparis spinosa honey as a natural food additive was experimentally shown to increase the antibody titer; furthermore, compared with the rats in the control group, the levels of the sera cytokines ($IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-1 and IL-6) were consistently higher at day 7 post-infection in the infected rats treated with oral supplements of Capparis spinosa honey. Conclusion: Orally administered supplements of Capparis spinosa honey increased both the antibody titer and the cytokines ($IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-1 and IL-6) levels in rats infected with T. gondii.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.335-338
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• 2016

The present study aimed to investigate the possible association of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. infections with cryptogenic epilepsy in children. The study was carried out between June 2014 and March 2015. Total 90 children (40 with cryptogenic epilepsy, 30 with non-cryptogenic epilepsy, and 20 healthy control children) were evaluated to determine the anti-Toxocara and anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity using ELISA kits. Epileptic cases were selected from those attending the pediatrics outpatient clinic of Benha University Hospital, Pediatrics Neurology Unit, and from Benha Specialized Hospital of children. The results showed that the level of anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity was significantly higher among children with cryptogenic epilepsy (20%) than among children with non-cryptogenic children (0%). In healthy controls (10%), there was no association between toxocariasis seropositivity and cryptogenic epilepsy (only 5.7%; 4 out of 70 cases) among cases and 10% (2 out of 20) among controls. Among toxocariasis IgG positive cases, 3 (7.5%) were cryptogenic, and only 1 (3.3%) was non-cryptogenic. These statistically significant results support the association between T. gondii infection and cryptogenic epilepsy while deny this association with toxocariasis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.429-435
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• 2018

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite responsible for causing toxoplasmosis. Preventive measures for toxoplasmosis are currently lacking and as such, development of novel vaccines are of urgent need. In this study, we generated 2 virus-like particles (VLPs) vaccines expressing T. gondii rhoptry protein 4 (ROP4) or rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18) using influenza matrix protein (M1) as a core protein. Mice were intranasally immunized with VLPs vaccines and after the last immunization, mice were challenged with ME49 cysts. Protective efficacy was assessed and compared by determining serum antibody responses, body weight changes and the reduction of cyst counts in the brain. ROP18 VLPs-immunized mice induced greater levels of IgG and IgA antibody responses than those immunized with ROP4 VLPs. ROP18 VLPs immunization significantly reduced body weight loss and the number of brain cysts in mice compared to ROP4 VLPs post-challenge. These results indicate that T. gondii ROP18 VLPs elicited better protective efficacy than ROP4 VLPs, providing important insight into vaccine design strategy.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.87-89
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• 2014

In this study, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii and Bartonella (B.) henselae infection among stray cats in Daejeon City, Korea was surveyed. A total of seven samples were positive (7/118, 5.93%) for T. gondii including three samples from female cats (3/58, 5.2%) and four samples from male cats (4/60, 6.7%). There was no significant difference between the genders. A total 22 samples (22/118, 18.6%) were positive for B. henselae; nine were from females and 13 were from males. There was no significant difference between genders. Nineteen samples had a titer of 1 : 50, two samples had a titer of 1 : 100, and one sample had a titer of 1 : 200. The present study is the first to use serological tests to analyze B. henselae prevalence among stray cats in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2008

Although the Korean isolate KI-1 of Toxoplasma gondii has been considered to be a virulent type I lineage because of its virulent clinical manifestations, its genotype is unclear. In the present study, genotyping of the KI-1 was performed by multilocus PCR-RFLP and microsatellite sequencing. For 9 genetic markers (c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, SAG2, SAG3, GRA6, BTUB, and Apico), the KI-1 and RH strains exhibited typical PCR-RFLP patterns identical to the type I strains. DNA sequencing of tandem repeats in 5 microsatellite markers (B17, B18, TUB2, W35, and TgM-A) of the KI-1 also revealed patterns characteristic of the type I. These results provide strong genetic evidence that KI-1 is a type I lineage of T. gondii.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.59-61
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• 2011

The prevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii was surveyed using a latex agglutination test (LAT) in native Korean cattle. A blood sample was collected from female 105 cattle in the Daejeon area of Korea. All cattle were asymptomatic and had not received any prophylactic treatment for T. gondii. Blood samples were collected via the caudal vein. The cattle ranged in age from 2~6 years (mean 3.7 years). LAT detected antibody to T. gondii in four of 105 (3.8%) cattle. However, the hazard analysis and critical control point protocol has been applied to cattle farms and beef traceability has been strengthen.