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Immediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum.

ABSTRACT: Rodents are critical for the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to the definitive feline host via predation, and this relationship has been extensively studied as a model for immune responses to parasites. Neospora caninum is a closely related coccidian parasite of ruminants and canines but is not naturally transmitted by rodents. We compared mouse innate immune responses to N. caninum and T. gondii and found marked differences in cytokine levels and parasite growth kinetics during the first 24?h postinfection (hpi). N. caninum-infected mice produced significantly higher levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon gamma (IFN-?) by as early as 4 hpi, but the level of IFN-? was significantly lower or undetectable in T. gondii-infected mice during the first 24 hpi. "Immediate" IFN-? and IL-12p40 production was not detected in MyD88-/- mice. However, unlike IL-12p40-/- and IFN-?-/- mice, MyD88-/- mice survived N. caninum infections at the dose used in this study. Serial measures of parasite burden showed that MyD88-/- mice were more susceptible to N. caninum infections than wild-type (WT) mice, and control of parasite burdens correlated with a pulse of serum IFN-? at 3 to 4?days postinfection in the absence of detectable IL-12. Immediate IFN-? was partially dependent on the T. gondii mouse profilin receptor Toll-like receptor 11 (TLR11), but the ectopic expression of N. caninum profilin in T. gondii had no impact on early IFN-? production or parasite proliferation. Our data indicate that T. gondii is capable of evading host detection during the first hours after infection, while N. caninum is not, and this is likely due to the early MyD88-dependent recognition of ligands other than profilin.

SUBMITTER: Coombs RS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7093116 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Immediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum.

Coombs Rachel S RS Blank Matthew L ML English Elizabeth D ED Adomako-Ankomah Yaw Y Urama Ifeanyi-Chukwu Samuel IS Martin Andrew T AT Yarovinsky Felix F Boyle Jon P JP

Infection and immunity 20200323 4

Rodents are critical for the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to the definitive feline host via predation, and this relationship has been extensively studied as a model for immune responses to parasites. Neospora caninum is a closely related coccidian parasite of ruminants and canines but is not naturally transmitted by rodents. We compared mouse innate immune responses to N. caninum and T. gondii and found marked differences in cytokine levels and parasite growth ki ...[more]

PMID: 32014892

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Knowledge about parasitic infections is crucial information for animal health, particularly of free-ranging species that might come into contact with livestock and humans. METHODS:We investigated the seroprevalence of three tissue-cyst-forming apicomplexan parasites (Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Besnoitia besnoiti) in 506 individuals of 12 wildlife species in Namibia using in-house enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (indirect ELISAs applying purified antigens) for screening and immunoblots as confirmatory tests. We included six species of the suborder Feliformia, four species of the suborder Caniformia and two species of the suborder Ruminantia. For the two species for which we had most samples and life-history information, i.e. cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus, n = 250) and leopards (Panthera pardus, n = 58), we investigated T. gondii seroprevalence in relation to age class, sex, sociality (solitary, mother-offspring group, independent sibling group, coalition group) and site (natural habitat vs farmland). RESULTS:All but one carnivore species (bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis, n = 4) were seropositive to T. gondii, with a seroprevalence ranging from 52.4% (131/250) in cheetahs to 93.2% (55/59) in African lions (Panthera leo). We also detected antibodies to T. gondii in 10.0% (2/20) of blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus). Adult cheetahs and leopards were more likely to be seropositive to T. gondii than subadult conspecifics, whereas seroprevalence did not vary with sex, sociality and site. Furthermore, we measured antibodies to N. caninum in 15.4% (2/13) of brown hyenas (Hyaena brunnea) and 2.6% (1/39) of black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas). Antibodies to B. besnoiti were detected in 3.4% (2/59) of African lions and 20.0% (4/20) of blue wildebeest. CONCLUSIONS:Our results demonstrate that Namibian wildlife species were exposed to apicomplexan parasites at different prevalences, depending on parasite and host species. In addition to serological work, molecular work is also needed to better understand the sylvatic cycle and the clear role of wildlife in the epidemiology of these parasites in southern Africa.

Dataset Information

Immediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum.

Publications

Immediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum.

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