Toxoplasma gondii

Bahia-Oliveira, Lilian; Gómez‐Marín, Jorge Enrique; Shapiro, Karen

doi:10.14321/waterpathogens.37

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…A trend of decreasing seroprevalence has been observed in many European countries and the USA over the past few decades, probably attributed, at least in part, to the hygienic improvements in animal husbandry. [50] On the other hand, stable or increasing seroprevalences have been reported in other parts of the world,[51] and an overall global seroprevalence of 30% has been described. [52] This high burden superimposed with the fact that there is no effective treatment for latent toxoplasmosis poses a grave risk for the development of psychiatric illnesses in the vulnerable population.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders: The Toxoplasma connection

Chaudhury

Ramana

2019

Trop Parasitol

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The infectious etiology of psychiatric illnesses has remained an unexplored area till recently. During the past two decades, numerous studies from multiple angles have tried to link chronic toxoplasmosis with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, among others. Most of the evidence has come from serological studies in the patient population, but other facets have also been explored. This review examines the various areas from which a causal link has been deduced and includes: (a) serological studies, (b) effect of maternal toxoplasmosis on children, (c) neurotransmitter studies, (d) parasite localization in the brain, (e) role of cytokines, and (f) psychotherapy and its effect on Toxoplasma. However, multiple factors may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric illnesses, and chronic Toxoplasma infection may be considered an important risk factor for the genesis and symptomatology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders: The Toxoplasma connection

Chaudhury

Ramana

2019

Trop Parasitol

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“…The apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii is a global zoonotic parasite affecting humans and animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, that causes a cosmopolitan food and waterborne infection, with an estimated 1–2 billion (approximately 30%) of the world's population infected (Bahia‐Oliveira, Gomez‐Marin, & Shapiro, ). For successful transmission, the parasite relies on an heteroxenous life cycle involving an intermediate host, virtually all warm‐blooded animals, wherein the parasite multiplies by asexual reproduction leading to intracellular cysts developing in muscles and other organs and a definitive host (wild and domestic felids) in which sexual reproduction results in the shedding through faeces of countless infective oocysts in the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii in edible fishes captured in the Mediterranean basin

Marino

Giunta

Salvaggio

et al. 2019

Zoonoses and Public Health

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The issue of whether market fish can be involved in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in the marine environment is highly debated since toxoplasmosis has been diagnosed frequently in cetaceans stranded along the Mediterranean coastlines in recent times. To support the hypothesis that fishes can harbour and effectively transmit the parasite to top‐of‐the‐food‐chain marine organisms and to human consumers of fishery products, a total of 1,293 fishes from 17 species obtained from wholesale and local fish markets were examined for T. gondii DNA. Real‐time PCR was performed in samples obtained by separately pooling intestines, gills and skin/muscles collected from each fish species. Thirty‐two out of 147 pooled samples from 12 different fish species were found contaminated with T. gondii DNA that was detected in 16 samples of skin/muscle and in 11 samples of both intestine and gills. Quantitative analysis of amplified DNA performed by both real‐time PCR and digital PCR (dPCR) confirmed that positive fish samples were contaminated with Toxoplasma genomic DNA to an extent of 6.10 × 10−2 to 2.77 × 104 copies/ml (quantitative PCR) and of 1 to 5.7 × 104 copies/ml (dPCR). Fishes are not considered competent biological hosts for T. gondii; nonetheless, they can be contaminated with T. gondii oocysts flowing via freshwater run‐offs (untreated sewage discharges, soil flooding) into the marine environment, thus acting as mechanical carriers. Although the detection of viable and infective T. gondii oocysts was not the objective of this investigation, the results here reported suggest that fish species sold for human consumption can be accidentally involved in the transmission route of the parasite in the marine environment and that the risk of foodborne transmission of toxoplasmosis to fish consumers should be further investigated.

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“…Toxoplasmosis is a disease produced by the Toxoplasma gondii protozoan parasite, which is a cosmopolitan food and waterborne infection with an estimated 1 to 2 billion (approximately 30%) of the world's population infected ( Bahia-Oliveira et al, 2017 ). The most efficacious treatment for this infection is based on Pyrimethamine with Sulfadiazine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In vitro evaluation of new 4-thiazolidinones on invasion and growth of Toxoplasma gondii

Molina

Ramos

Zamora-Vélez

et al. 2021

International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistan

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Treatments for toxoplasmosis such as pyrimethamine have shown numerous side effects. It has been reported that the likelihood of relapse associated with pyrimethamine-based therapy in patients with HIV and toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) can have significant implications, even for patients who often develop new lesions in areas of the brain previously free of infection. This led us to research for new agents against Toxoplasma gondii . Recent findings have shown the potent biological activity of 4-thiazolidinones. We proposed to design and synthesize a new series of 2-hydrazono-4-thiazolidinones derivatives to evaluate the in vitro growth inhibition effect on T. gondii . The growth rates of T. gondii tachyzoites in Human Foreskin Fibroblast (HFF) cell culture were identified by two in vitro methodologies. The first one was by fluorescence in which green fluorescent RH parasites and cherry-red fluorescent ME49 parasites were used. The second one was a colorimetric methodology using β-Gal parasites of the RH strain constitutively expressing the enzyme beta-galactosidase. The 4-thiazolidinone derivatives 1B, 2B and 3B showed growth inhibition at the same level of Pyrimethamine. These compounds showed IC 50 values of 1B (0.468–0.952 μM), 2B (0.204–0.349 μM) and 3B (0.661–1.015 μM) against T. gondii . As a measure of cytotoxicity the compounds showed a TD 50 values of: 1B (60 μM), 2B (206 μM) and 3B (125 μM). The in vitro assays and molecular modeling results suggest that these compounds could act as possible inhibitors of the Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 1 of T. gondii . Further, our results support the fact that of combining appropriate detection technologies, combinatorial chemistry and computational biology is a good strategy for efficient drug discovery. These compounds merit in vivo analysis for anti-parasitic drug detection.

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Toxoplasma gondii

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders: The Toxoplasma connection

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders: The Toxoplasma connection

Toxoplasma gondii in edible fishes captured in the Mediterranean basin

In vitro evaluation of new 4-thiazolidinones on invasion and growth of Toxoplasma gondii

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