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Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide prevalent parasite. The infection has been linked to variable inflammatory effects including neuroinflammation. Biochanin A (BCA) is an isoflavone, known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. In this study, we examined the effect of BCA on the brain and liver inflammatory lesions in a murine model with chronic toxoplasmosis. Mice were divided in to six groups: non-infected control, non-infected BCA-treated, and four infected groups with Toxoplasmagondii Me49-type II cystogenic strain: infected control, BCA (50 mg/kg/day)-treated, combined BCA/cotrimoxazole-treated and cotrimoxazole (370 mg/kg/day) alone-treated. Gene expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR in the brain and liver tissues. In the infected control group, an upregulation of TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA expression levels was found. However, a downregulation of iNOS expression was detected in the brain of infected control mice. In both BCA- and combined-treated groups, the brain and liver tissues showed significantly reduced inflammatory lesions compared to the infected control mice with inhibited TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA levels. The iNOS expression levels in the brain tissues of BCA group were significantly higher than the levels of the infected control group. BCA alone or combined significantly reduced T. gondii cyst count in the brain tissues. In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory activity of BCA was demonstrated in the brain tissues of mice with chronic toxoplasmosis with decreased TNF-α and IL-1β expression levels and increased iNOS expression levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: About a third of people in the world are infected with Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite has been found in the reproductive organs and semen of males of many animal species as well as humans. The effects of toxoplasmosis on sperm count, motility and morphology were confirmed in rats. A higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis has been observed in infertile men. On the other hand, no significant effect of infection on semen parameters in men was found in one already published study. Objectives: To compare the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in men with and without semen pathology and to examine in detail the possible impact of infection on semen volume, sperm count, motility and morphology. Materials and methods: The pre‐registered cross‐sectional study included 669 men who visited the Centre for Assisted Reproduction in Prague from June 2016 until June 2018. Results: The incidence of fertility problems was significantly higher in the 163 Toxoplasma‐infected men (48.47%) than in the 506 Toxoplasma‐free men (42.29%), τ = 0.049, P = 0.029. After correction for multiple tests, we found significantly lower sperm concentration, concentration of progressively motile sperm, and concentration of non‐progressively motile sperm in Toxoplasma‐positive men than in Toxoplasma‐negative men using partial Kendall correlation with age controlled. In addition, toxoplasmosis correlated with sperm quality in smokers but not in non‐smokers. Discussion and conclusion: Our results suggest that latent toxoplasmosis affects certain semen parameters (sperm count and motility), but does not seem to affect sperm morphology and semen volume. Impairment of semen parameters may be either a side effect of the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in male reproductive organs or a product of manipulation activity of the parasite aimed to increase the efficiency of the sexual route of its transmission. Tobacco smoking also appears to exacerbate the negative impact of toxoplasmosis on semen parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 1880, the scientists Nicolle and Manceau discovered a single-cell organism in the tissues of a hamster-like rodent (Ctenodactylusgundi). Initially, it was believed to be one of the species belonging to the species of Leishmania, therefore nominally Leishmaniagondii. It was renamed in 1889, depending on the phenotypic form, Where Toxois derived from the Latin word Toxon in the sense of a Arc, whereas Plasma is derived from form in the sense of form and gondii from the name of the rodentgundi. In 1923 Junku noticed the presence of parasitic cysts in the retina of a child with cerebrospinal fluid and inflammation of the retina. This is the first human case of congenital infarction. Toxoplasmosis occurs in humans as a result of the infection of the oocyte in the feces of infected cats or the eating of infected meat that contain infected stage and the poorly cooked. The parasite can also be transmitted vertically from mother to fetus, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy, leading to severe neonatal deficiencies that can mainly prolong the central nervous system of the fetus. This leads to mental retardation or death that ends with the abortion of the pregnant woman. Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that infected inside host cells and does not specialize in infecting a particular cell type, but is capable of infecting all cell types without any clinical signs. The parasite also stimulates the humoral immune response that acts against existing parasites in the blood and cellular immune response against the parasites found inside the host cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy loss, also referred to as a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, is generally defined as a nonviable intrauterine pregnancy up to 20 weeks gestation. Early pregnancy loss, which occurs in the first trimester, is the most common type. Objective: The aims of the study were to assess the role of (MDA, GSH, and levels of antioxidant vitamins, C, E and IgG, IgM of Toxoplasma gondii) causes of Abortions. Materials and Method: For this study, 45 aborted women have been selected in first – trimester, and 25 well-matched women as control group their ages range from ( 20 – 33 years). Results: The study shows is an increasing level of Malondialdehyde (MDA) in women with toxoplasmosis. Furthermore, there is a decreasing level of antioxidant vitamins (A, C, and E), and Glutathione (GSH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii is an acute or latent zoonotic abortifacient human protozoan. Women may be aborted due to recent or latent infection during pregnancy or order to flare up of the dormant bradyzoites to acute tachyzoites (latent opportunistic relapse). Aims 1) to validate the interpretation of IgM and IgG immunoglobulins seromonotoring with DNA comparative results in differentiating recent from latent T. gondii abortion. Method Blood with the corresponding placental or uterine wash samples were collected from 73 aborted Egyptian women from Cairo and Giza labour wards. Patients aborted in any of the phases (Ph-1, Ph-2, Ph-3 and Ph-4 were corresponding to abortion at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters plus females who gave birth with congenital anomalies), respectively. All aborted patients were assayed serologically by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for IgM and IgG titers and the compatible DNA from placenta and uterine wash tissues by conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) specific for T. gondii. Results Sero-positive aborted women were 50.7% by ELISA versus 37% by PCR. Not all T. gondii sero-positive aborted women were having T. gondii DNA or harboring compatible placental T. gondii cysts. This denotes that immunoglobulins alone are insufficient criteria for confirming toxoplasma abortion. Conclusion Immunoglobulins with DNA comparative results can possibly differentiate recent from latent T. gondii abortion at higher precision. We recommend the need for routine monitoring of T. gondii i.e. (pre-, during and post-delivery). Highlights • In Egypt, estimating the incidence of abortion from Toxoplasma in the absence of population based analysis and limited surveillance studies is challenging. • This study assessed the diagnostic role of combining quantitative PCR with immunoglobulin serological testing of Toxoplasma. • Titers of IgM and IgG, corresponding to DNA connect ecological and zoonotic interpretation. • Immunoglobulins when combined with quantitative DNA are useful in differentiating recent from latent infection at high precision. • Immunoglobulins when combined with quantitative DNA helps avoiding the complications, hospital admissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii is globally widespread obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan,It affects almost all warm-blooded animals including man. More than one third of human population is infected by this parasite. It can cause life threatening diseases both in immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent hosts. The symptoms of the disease arefever, seizures and ataxia. The parasite has heteroxenous lifecycle and reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual cycle is limited to the members of felidae while the asexual cycle completes in mammals and birds. The transmission of parasite to human occurs either by ingestion of poorly cooked meat of infected animals or by accidental intake of food contaminated with cat feces. The infection by toxoplasma results in acute disease, latent infection may also occur. In order to diagnose the disease different diagnostic methods are used like fecal microscopy, a primitive technique is still in use. Different molecular based approaches like serological methods for parasite diagnosis including Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test, Modified Agglutination Test and many others are used for pathogen diagnosis by targeting stage specific immunoglobulins. DNA based approaches like PCR have made a significant advancement in the diagnoses of many pathogens includingT. gondii. Nested-PCR is considered to be more sensitive in diagnosis of toxoplasmosis. For more accurate and sensitive parasite detection, Real-Time PCR is more useful. This review is an attempt to highlight the global threat of the parasite. In addition; different diagnostic approaches are reviewed ranging from classical methods to recent advancements in molecular techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We assessed the association of Toxoplasma gondii infection and depression in a sample of psychiatric patients and control subjects without depression. We performed an age- and gender-matched case-control study of 89 patients suffering from depression attended in a public psychiatric hospital in Durango City, Mexico and 356 control subjects without depression from the general population of the same city. Participants were tested for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies using enzyme-linked immunoassays. Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 11 (12.4%) of the 89 cases and in 22 (6.2%) of the 356 controls (OR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.00-4.59; P = 0.04). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were found in four (19%) of 21 anti-T. gondii IgG seropositive controls but not in 11 anti-T. gondii IgG seropositive cases (P = 0.27). Patients aged 30 years old and younger had a significantly higher seroprevalence of T. gondii infection than controls of the same age group (P = 0.001). Results of the present study suggest a potential association between T. gondii infection and depression. Furthers studies to confirm our results and to determine the epidemiology of T. gondii in young depressed patients should be conducted.