Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts
<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an obligate intracellular protozoan that infects humans and other mammals. The C57BL/6J mouse strain is regarded as an ideal model organism for studying <i>T. gondii</i> due to its susceptibility to <i>T. gondii</i> infection and its ot...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Zhao Li Qi-Shuai Liu Jun-Jie Hu Cai-Qin Deng Tao Li Wen-Bin Zheng Xing-Quan Zhu Feng-Cai Zou |
| author_facet | Zhao Li Qi-Shuai Liu Jun-Jie Hu Cai-Qin Deng Tao Li Wen-Bin Zheng Xing-Quan Zhu Feng-Cai Zou |
| author_sort | Zhao Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an obligate intracellular protozoan that infects humans and other mammals. The C57BL/6J mouse strain is regarded as an ideal model organism for studying <i>T. gondii</i> due to its susceptibility to <i>T. gondii</i> infection and its other advantages over other laboratory animals. However, systematic studies on the response dynamics of the susceptible C57BL/6J mice after oral infection with <i>T. gondii</i> cysts are lacking. To address this research gap, we investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of infection, colonization, and antibody fluctuations in susceptible C57BL/6J mice orally infected with Type II <i>T. gondii</i> ME49 strain cysts. Mice were orally challenged with <i>T. gondii</i> cysts to examine the infection dynamics. Daily monitoring was conducted for 60 days post-infection (dpi) to assess animals’ clinical signs and survival rates. The parasite burden in various organs was quantified using qPCR targeting the <i>T. gondii</i> B1 gene. The serum antibody responses were evaluated using ELISA. The cyst burden in the mouse brain was assessed via histology and immunofluorescence. <i>T. gondii</i> infection induced clinical symptoms in the mice, including fever and weight loss. <i>T. gondii</i> rapidly invaded the mice’s small intestine, spleen, lungs, liver, and heart via the bloodstream within 1–5 dpi. <i>T. gondii</i> had breached the blood–brain barrier and colonized the brain by 7 dpi. The levels of <i>Toxoplasma</i>-specific IgG antibodies increased and stabilized for two months (until the experiment ended). Systemic parasite dissemination occurred rapidly, infiltrating most tissues and organs, leading to pronounced enteritis and multi-organ damage due to inflammation. The tachyzoites differentiated into bradyzoites when <i>T. gondii</i> infection progressed from the acute to the chronic phase in mice, forming tissue cysts in organs, including the muscles and brain. As a result, the predilection site of <i>T. gondii</i> in mice is the brain, which is where the cysts persisted for the host’s lifetime and continuously induced meningitis. These findings provide valuable insights into the spatiotemporal diffusion, colonization, predilection sites, temporal antibody dynamics, pathogen detection methodologies, and histopathological changes in C57BL/6J mice following oral infection with <i>T. gondii</i> cysts. These insights are important for elucidating <i>T. gondii</i>’s pathogenesis and host–<i>T. gondii</i> interaction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0cc4cf6c1aa846a192b94209c6a2e9c2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-0cc4cf6c1aa846a192b94209c6a2e9c22025-08-20T02:43:10ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-03-0112321210.3390/vetsci12030212Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> CystsZhao Li0Qi-Shuai Liu1Jun-Jie Hu2Cai-Qin Deng3Tao Li4Wen-Bin Zheng5Xing-Quan Zhu6Feng-Cai Zou7Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, ChinaAnimal Research and Resource Center, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaSchool of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaAnimal Research and Resource Center, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaAnimal Research and Resource Center, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, ChinaLaboratory of Parasitic Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaLaboratory of Parasitic Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaThe Yunnan Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an obligate intracellular protozoan that infects humans and other mammals. The C57BL/6J mouse strain is regarded as an ideal model organism for studying <i>T. gondii</i> due to its susceptibility to <i>T. gondii</i> infection and its other advantages over other laboratory animals. However, systematic studies on the response dynamics of the susceptible C57BL/6J mice after oral infection with <i>T. gondii</i> cysts are lacking. To address this research gap, we investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of infection, colonization, and antibody fluctuations in susceptible C57BL/6J mice orally infected with Type II <i>T. gondii</i> ME49 strain cysts. Mice were orally challenged with <i>T. gondii</i> cysts to examine the infection dynamics. Daily monitoring was conducted for 60 days post-infection (dpi) to assess animals’ clinical signs and survival rates. The parasite burden in various organs was quantified using qPCR targeting the <i>T. gondii</i> B1 gene. The serum antibody responses were evaluated using ELISA. The cyst burden in the mouse brain was assessed via histology and immunofluorescence. <i>T. gondii</i> infection induced clinical symptoms in the mice, including fever and weight loss. <i>T. gondii</i> rapidly invaded the mice’s small intestine, spleen, lungs, liver, and heart via the bloodstream within 1–5 dpi. <i>T. gondii</i> had breached the blood–brain barrier and colonized the brain by 7 dpi. The levels of <i>Toxoplasma</i>-specific IgG antibodies increased and stabilized for two months (until the experiment ended). Systemic parasite dissemination occurred rapidly, infiltrating most tissues and organs, leading to pronounced enteritis and multi-organ damage due to inflammation. The tachyzoites differentiated into bradyzoites when <i>T. gondii</i> infection progressed from the acute to the chronic phase in mice, forming tissue cysts in organs, including the muscles and brain. As a result, the predilection site of <i>T. gondii</i> in mice is the brain, which is where the cysts persisted for the host’s lifetime and continuously induced meningitis. These findings provide valuable insights into the spatiotemporal diffusion, colonization, predilection sites, temporal antibody dynamics, pathogen detection methodologies, and histopathological changes in C57BL/6J mice following oral infection with <i>T. gondii</i> cysts. These insights are important for elucidating <i>T. gondii</i>’s pathogenesis and host–<i>T. gondii</i> interaction.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/3/212<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>C57BL/6J micespatiotemporal diffusioncolonizationpredilection sitesantibody fluctuation |
| spellingShingle | Zhao Li Qi-Shuai Liu Jun-Jie Hu Cai-Qin Deng Tao Li Wen-Bin Zheng Xing-Quan Zhu Feng-Cai Zou Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts Veterinary Sciences <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> C57BL/6J mice spatiotemporal diffusion colonization predilection sites antibody fluctuation |
| title | Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Cysts |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal diffusion colonization and antibody responses in susceptible c57bl 6j mice orally infected with i toxoplasma gondii i cysts |
| topic | <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> C57BL/6J mice spatiotemporal diffusion colonization predilection sites antibody fluctuation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/3/212 |
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