Balamuthia mandrillaris is a causative agent of granulomatous amebic encephalitis, a rare but often fatal condition. To investigate the role of T helper (Th) cell subsets in the immune response against B. mandrillaris, we examined 3 mouse strains with distinct immunological profiles: C57BL/6 (Th1-dominant), BALB/c (Th2-dominant), and ICR (balanced Th1/Th2). Mice were infected intranasally with 1×105 amoebae. Body weight and neurologic symtoms were monitored weekly, and cytokine expression was assessed biweekly over 6 weeks. Minimal weight loss and no mortality were observed in C57BL/6 mice, whereas BALB/c and ICR mice exhibited significant early and delayed mortality, respectively. Interleukin-17A expression was notably elevated in C57BL/6 mice compared with the other strains. These findings indicate that a robust Th17 response, particularly interleukin-17A production, is a critical component of the host defense against B. mandrillaris infection.
Toxoplasma gondii infections are primarily diagnosed by serological assays, whereas molecular and fluorescence-based techniques are garnering attention for their high sensitivity in detecting these infections. Nevertheless, each detection method has its limitations. The toxoplasmosis detection capabilities of most of the currently available methods have not been evaluated under identical experimental conditions. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic potential of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence (IF) in BALB/c mice experimentally infected with various doses of T. gondii ME49. The detection of toxoplasmosis from sera and brain tissues was markedly enhanced in mice subjected to high infection doses (200 and 300 cysts) compared to those subjected to lower doses (10 and 50 cysts) for all the detection methods. Additionally, increased B1 gene expression levels and cyst sizes were observed in the brain tissues of the mice. Importantly, IHC, IF, and ELISA, but not RT-PCR, successfully detected T. gondii infections at the lowest infection dose (10 cysts) in the brain. These findings may prove beneficial while designing experimental methodologies for detecting T. gondii infections in mice.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Spatiotemporal Diffusion, Colonization, and Antibody Responses in Susceptible C57BL/6J Mice Orally Infected with Toxoplasma gondii Cysts Zhao Li, Qi-Shuai Liu, Jun-Jie Hu, Cai-Qin Deng, Tao Li, Wen-Bin Zheng, Xing-Quan Zhu, Feng-Cai Zou Veterinary Sciences.2025; 12(3): 212. CrossRef
Ivermectin Identified Using a High-Throughput Screening System Exhibits Anti-Clonorchis sinensis Activity in Rats Soon-Ok Lee, Hyeryon Lee, Ki Back Chu, Jianhua Li, Sung-Jong Hong, Sung Soo Kim, Joo Hwan No, Fu-Shi Quan Antibiotics.2025; 14(8): 837. CrossRef
Recombinant vaccinia virus expressing MIC8, AMA1, or RON4 induce protection against Toxoplasma gondii ME49 strain infection Hae-Ji Kang, Fu-Shi Quan Acta Tropica.2025; 270: 107812. CrossRef
Protective Efficacy Induced by Virus-like Particles Expressing Dense Granule Protein 5 of Toxoplasma gondii Su In Heo, Hae-Ji Kang, Jie Mao, Zhao-Shou Yang, Md Atique Ahmed, Fu-Shi Quan Vaccines.2025; 13(8): 787. CrossRef
Vaccinia virus expressing MIC8 and AMA1 provides protection against Toxoplasma gondii ME49 infection Hae-Ji Kang, Yan Jin, Zhao-Shou Yang, Md Atique Ahmed, Fu-Shi Quan Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2025; 63(4): 340. CrossRef
Tahali Mendoza-Oliveros, Victor Arana-Arga?ez, Leidi C. Alvare?z-Sa?nchez, Julio Lara-Riegos, Mari?a Elizbeth Alvare?z-Sa?nchez, Julio C. Torres-Romero
Korean J Parasitol 2019;57(1):33-38. Published online February 26, 2019
Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, which actually does not exist a vaccine for control or prevention. Thus, the identification of new and potent immunogens in T. vaginalis, which can contribute to the development of a vaccine against this parasite, is necessary. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of a recombinant Transient Receptor Potential-like channel of T. vaginalis (TvTRPV), as a promising immunogen in BALB/c mice. First, TvTRPV was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli BL21 cells and purified by nickel affinity. Next, BALB/c mice were immunized and the antibody levels in mice serum and cytokines from the supernatant of macrophages and from co-culture systems were evaluated. Recombinant TvTRPV triggered high levels of specific total IgG in sera from the immunized mice. Also, a statistically significant increase of cytokines: IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α after stimulation with the corresponding antigens in vitro, was identified. Moreover, co-cultures using CD4+ T cells from immunized mice were able to identify higher levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ. These results were useful to validate the immunogenicity of TvTRPV in BALB/c mice, where IL-10-IFN-γ-secreting cells could play a role in infection control, supporting the potential of TvTRPV as a promising target for vaccine against T. vaginalis.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Exposure of Tritrichomonas foetus to sublethal doses of metronidazole induces a specific proinflammatory response in murine macrophages Emanuel Ceballos‐Góngora, Julio César Torres‐Romero, Victor Ermilo Arana‐Argáez, María Elizbeth Alvarez‐Sánchez, Karla Acosta‐Viana, Antonio Euan‐Canto, Leidi Cristal Alvarez‐Sánchez Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Activation of murine macrophages by membrane proteins from Tritrichomonas foetus grown on iron‐ and calcium‐rich conditions Antonio Euan‐Canto, Julio César Torres‐Romero, María Elizbeth Alvarez‐Sánchez, Victor Ermilo Arana‐Argáez, Karla Acosta‐Viana, Emanuel Ceballos‐Góngora, Laura Vázquez‐Carrillo, Leidi Alvarez‐Sánchez Parasite Immunology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
In Vitro Activation of Macrophages by an MHC Class II-restricted Trichomonas Vaginalis TvZIP8-derived Synthetic Peptide Victor Ermilo Arana-Argáez, Emanuel Ceballos-Góngora, María Elizbeth Alvarez-Sánchez, Antonio Euan-Canto, Julio Lara-Riegos, Julio César Torres-Romero Immunological Investigations.2022; 51(1): 88. CrossRef
Local cytokine/chemokine profiles in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice in response to T. vaginalis infection Sonal Yadav, Vivek Verma, Rakesh Singh Dhanda, Sumeeta Khurana, Manisha Yadav Experimental Parasitology.2022; 239: 108287. CrossRef
The molecular characterization and immune protection of adhesion protein 65 (AP65) of Trichomonas vaginalis Zhenchao Zhang, Xiaoxiao Song, Zhengbo Zhang, Haoran Li, Yujuan Duan, Hao Zhang, Haoran Lu, Chengyang Luo, Mingyong Wang Microbial Pathogenesis.2021; 152: 104750. CrossRef
The Molecular Characterization and Immunity Identification of Trichomonas vaginalis Adhesion Protein 33 (AP33) Zhenchao Zhang, Yuhua Li, Shuai Wang, Lixia Hao, Yunqing Zhu, Haoran Li, Xiaoxiao Song, Yujuan Duan, Yuhui Sang, Pucheng Wu, Xiangrui Li Frontiers in Microbiology.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
This study investigated whether trinitroglycerine (TNG) as nitric oxide (NO) releasing agent had anti-leishmanial effects and mediated pathology in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania major. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a zoonotic infection caused by leishmania protozoa is still one of the health problems in the world and in Iran. NO is involved in host immune responses against intracellular L. major, and leishmania killing by macrophages is mediated by this substance. Moreover, application of CL treatment with NO-donors has been recently indicated. In our study, TNG was used for its ability to increase NO and to modify CL infection in mice, in order to evaluate NO effects on lesion size and formation, parasite proliferation inside macrophages, amastigote visceralization in target organs, and NO induction in plasma and organ suspensions. Data obtained in this study indicated that TNG increased plasma and liver-NO, reduced lesion sizes, removed amastigotes from lesions, livers, spleens, and lymph nodes, declined proliferation of amastigotes, hepatomegaly, and increased survival rate. However, TNG reduced spleen-NO and had no significant effects on spelenomegaly. The results show that TNG therapy reduced leishmaniasis and pathology in association with raised NO levels. TNG had some antiparasitic activity by reduction of positive smears from lesions, livers, spleens, and lymph nodes, which could emphasize the role of TNG to inhibit visceralization of L. major in target organs.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Topical liposomal amphotericin B gel treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major: a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, pilot study Amir Horev, Orli Sagi, Eyal Zur, Shalom Ben‐Shimol International Journal of Dermatology.2023; 62(1): 40. CrossRef
Partial Immunotherapy of Leishmaniasis by in vivo Trial of L-Arginine in Balb/c Mice Infected with Leishmania major via Nitric Oxide Pathway Fatemeh Faezi, Hossein Nahrevania, Mahin Farahmand, Mohammad Sayyah, Seyed Kazem Bidoki, Sara Nemati International Journal of Biological Chemistry.2015; 9(3): 110. CrossRef
Is topical nitric oxide and cryotherapy more effective than cryotherapy in the treatment of old world cutaneous leishmaniasis? Farideh Jowkar, Farideh Dehghani, Akram Jamshidzadeh Journal of Dermatological Treatment.2012; 23(2): 131. CrossRef
Immunomodulation by chemotherapeutic agents against Leishmaniasis Piu Saha, Debanjan Mukhopadhyay, Mitali Chatterjee International Immunopharmacology.2011; 11(11): 1668. CrossRef
Leishmania–macrophage interactions: Insights into the redox biology Tim Van Assche, Maartje Deschacht, Raquel A. Inocêncio da Luz, Louis Maes, Paul Cos Free Radical Biology and Medicine.2011; 51(2): 337. CrossRef
Nitric oxide contributes to learning and memory deficits observed in hypothyroid rats during neonatal and juvenile growth Mahmoud Hosseini, Samaneh Sadat Dastghaib, Houshang Rafatpanah, Mosa Al-Reza Hadjzadeh, Hossein Nahrevanian, Ismaeil Farrokhi Clinics.2010; 65(11): 1175. CrossRef
Leishmania (L.) tropica is a causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis, and occasionally of visceral or viscerotropic leishmaniasis in humans. Murine models of Leishmania infection have been proven to be useful for elucidation of mechanisms for pathogenesis and immunity in leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to establish a murine model for human viscerotropic leishmaniasis, and the growth pattern of L. tropica was studied in different tissues of BALB/c mice in order to find out whether the parasite visceralizes in this murine model. L. major was used as a control as this species is known to cause a progressive infection in BALB/c mice. L. tropica or L. major was injected into the footpad of mice, and thickness of footpad, parasite loads in different tissues, and the weight of the spleen and lymph node were determined at different intervals. Results showed that L. tropica visceralizes to the spleen and grows there while its growth is controlled in footpad tissues. Dissemination of L. tropica to visceral organs in BALB/c mice was similar to the growth patterns of this parasite in human viscerotropic leishmaniasis. The BALB/c model of L. tropica infection may be considered as a good experimental model for human diseases.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Influence of sex hormones on the immune response to leishmaniasis Layana Pachêco de Araújo Albuquerque, Amanda Miranda da Silva, Francisca Miriane de Araújo Batista, Ingridi de Souza Sene, Dorcas Lamounier Costa, Carlos Henrique Nery Costa Parasite Immunology.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Cinnamomum cassia exhibits antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani infection in vitro and in vivo Farhat Afrin, Garima Chouhan, Mohammad Islamuddin, Muzamil Y. Want, Hani A. Ozbak, Hassan A. Hemeg, Fabiano Oliveira PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2019; 13(5): e0007227. CrossRef
Sex-Related Differences in Immune Response and Symptomatic Manifestations to Infection with Leishmania Species Ryan D. Lockard, Mary E. Wilson, Nilda E. Rodríguez Journal of Immunology Research.2019; 2019: 1. CrossRef
Heterogeneity of humoral immune response to Leishmania tropica in an experimental model Mosayeb Rostamian, Alisha Akya, Hamid M. Niknam Parasitology Research.2019; 118(4): 1231. CrossRef
Leishmania tropica: suggestive evidences for the effect of infectious dose on pathogenicity and immunogenicity in an experimental model Mosayeb Rostamian, Davood Jafari, Maryam Abolghazi, Hadiseh Farahani, Hamid M. Niknam Parasitology Research.2018; 117(9): 2949. CrossRef
Vaccination with whole-cell killed or recombinant leishmanial protein and toll-like receptor agonists against Leishmania tropica in BALB/c mice Mosayeb Rostamian, Fariborz Bahrami, Hamid M. Niknam, Humberto Lanz-Mendoza PLOS ONE.2018; 13(9): e0204491. CrossRef
Development of a Murine Infection Model withLeishmania killicki, Responsible for Cutaneous Leishmaniosis in Algeria: Application in Pharmacology Naouel Eddaikra, Ihcene Kherachi Djenad, Sihem Benbetka, Razika Benikhlef, Khatima Aït-Oudhia, Farida Moulti-Mati, Bruno Oury, Denis Sereno, Zoubir Harrat BioMed Research International.2016; 2016: 1. CrossRef
Leishmanicidal Activity of Piper nigrum Bioactive Fractions is Interceded via Apoptosis In Vitro and Substantiated by Th1 Immunostimulatory Potential In Vivo Garima Chouhan, Mohammad Islamuddin, Muzamil Y. Want, Hani A. Ozbak, Hassan A. Hemeg, Dinkar Sahal, Farhat Afrin Frontiers in Microbiology.2015;[Epub] CrossRef
Experimental acquisition, development, and transmission of Leishmania tropica by Phlebotomus duboscqi Hanafi A. Hanafi, El-Shaimaa M. Nour El-Din, Shabaan S.I. El-Hossary, Rania M. Kaldas, Jeffrey T. Villinski, Barry D. Furman, David J. Fryauff Acta Tropica.2013; 125(1): 37. CrossRef
The Route of Leishmania tropica Infection Determines Disease Outcome and Protection against Leishmania major in BALB/c Mice Hamid Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam, Ghader Khalili, Firoozeh Abrishami, Ali Najafy, Vahid Khaze The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2013; 51(1): 69. CrossRef
Molecular epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis and heterogeneity of Leishmania major strains in Iran Hamid Mahmoudzadeh‐Niknam, Soheila Ajdary, Farhad Riazi‐Rad, Ebrahim Mirzadegan, Abdolhossein Rezaeian, Vahid Khaze, Navid D. Djadid, Mohammad H. Alimohammadian Tropical Medicine & International Health.2012; 17(11): 1335. CrossRef
Leishmania tropica experimental infection in the rat using luciferase-transfected parasites Dalit Talmi-Frank, Charles L. Jaffe, Abedelmajeed Nasereddin, Gad Baneth Veterinary Parasitology.2012; 187(1-2): 57. CrossRef
Protective immunity against Leishmania major induced by Leishmania tropica infection of BALB/c mice Hamid Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam, Simin Sadat Kiaei, Davood Iravani Experimental Parasitology.2011; 127(2): 448. CrossRef
The role of host genetics in leishmaniasis Anuratha Sakthianandeswaren, Simon J. Foote, Emanuela Handman Trends in Parasitology.2009; 25(8): 383. CrossRef
Leishmania tropica and L. major are etiologic agents of human cutaneous leishmaniasis. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) is an immunologic response that has been frequently used as a correlate for protection against or sensitization to leishmania antigen. In BALB/c mice, L. tropica infection results in non-ulcerating disease, whereas L. major infection results in destructive lesions. In order to clarify the immunologic mechanisms of these 2 different outcomes, we compared the ability of these 2 leishmania species in induction of DTH response in this murine model. BALB/c mice were infected with L. major or L. tropica, and disease evolution and DTH responses were determined. The results show that the primary L. major infection can exacerbate the secondary L. major infection and is associated with DTH response. Higher doses of the primary L. major infection result in more disease exacerbation of the secondary L. major infection as well as higher DTH response. L. tropica infection induces lower DTH responses than L. major. We have previously reported that the primary L. tropica infection induces partial protection against the secondary L. major infection in BALB/c mice. Induction of lower DTH response by L. tropica suggests that the protection induced against L. major by prior L. tropica infection may be due to suppression of DTH response.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Expression of key cytokines in dog macrophages infected by Leishmania tarentolae opening new avenues for the protection against Leishmania infantum Viviane Noll Louzada-Flores, Maria Stefania Latrofa, Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan, Maria Stella Lucente, Sara Epis, Ilaria Varotto-Boccazzi, Claudio Bandi, Domenico Otranto Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Interspecies and Intrastrain Interplay among Leishmania spp. Parasites Bruna Dias das Chagas, Thaís Martins Pereira, Lilian Motta Cantanhêde, Gabriela Pereira da Silva, Mariana Côrtes Boité, Luiza de Oliveira Ramos Pereira, Elisa Cupolillo Microorganisms.2022; 10(10): 1883. CrossRef
Integration of Bioinformatics and in vitro Analysis Reveal Anti-leishmanial Effects of Azithromycin and Nystatin Irum Jehangir, Syed Farhan Ahmad, Maryam Jehangir, Anwar Jamal, Momin Khan Current Bioinformatics.2019; 14(5): 450. CrossRef
Vaccination with whole-cell killed or recombinant leishmanial protein and toll-like receptor agonists against Leishmania tropica in BALB/c mice Mosayeb Rostamian, Fariborz Bahrami, Hamid M. Niknam, Humberto Lanz-Mendoza PLOS ONE.2018; 13(9): e0204491. CrossRef
Route of Infection Affects Pathogenicity of Leishmania major in BALB/c Mice Ehsan Sarreshteh, Mosayeb Rostamian, Mahsa Tat Asadi, Firoozeh Abrishami, Ali Najafi, Maryam Abolghazi, Hamid Mahmoudzadeh Niknam Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases .2017; 5(1): 26. CrossRef
Studies on cocktails of 31‐kDa, 36‐kDa and 51‐kDa antigens of Leishmania donovani along with saponin against murine visceral leishmaniasis H. Kaur, A. Thakur, S. Kaur Parasite Immunology.2015; 37(4): 192. CrossRef
A Review: The Current In Vivo Models for the Discovery and Utility of New Anti-leishmanial Drugs Targeting Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Emily Rose Mears, Farrokh Modabber, Robert Don, George E. Johnson, Louis Maes PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2015; 9(9): e0003889. CrossRef
Studies on the protective efficacy of second-generation vaccine along with standard antileishmanial drug in Leishmania donovani infected BALB/c mice JYOTI JOSHI, SUKHBIR KAUR Parasitology.2014; 141(4): 554. CrossRef
The Route of Leishmania tropica Infection Determines Disease Outcome and Protection against Leishmania major in BALB/c Mice Hamid Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam, Ghader Khalili, Firoozeh Abrishami, Ali Najafy, Vahid Khaze The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2013; 51(1): 69. CrossRef
Protective immunity against Leishmania major induced by Leishmania tropica infection of BALB/c mice Hamid Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam, Simin Sadat Kiaei, Davood Iravani Experimental Parasitology.2011; 127(2): 448. CrossRef
FML vaccine against canine visceral leishmaniasis: from second-generation to synthetic vaccine Clarisa B Palatnik-de-Sousa, André de Figueiredo Barbosa, Sandra Maria Oliveira, Dirlei Nico, Robson Ronney Bernardo, Wania R Santos, Mauricio M Rodrigues, Irene Soares, Gulnara P Borja-Cabrera Expert Review of Vaccines.2008; 7(6): 833. CrossRef
Viscerotropic growth pattern of Leishmania tropica in BALB/c mice is suggestive of a murine model for human viscerotropic leishmaniasis Hamid Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam, Simin Sadat Kiaei, Davood Iravani The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2007; 45(4): 247. CrossRef
For treating Leishmania major infection in BALB/c mice, we used thalidomide in conjunction with glucantime. Groups of mice were challenged with 5 × 103 metacyclic promastigotes of L. major subcutaneously. A week after the challenge, drug treatment was started and continued for 12 days. Thalidomide was orally administrated 30 mg/kg/day and glucantime was administrated intraperitoneally (200 mg/kg/day). It was shown that the combined therapy is more effective than single therapies with each one of the drugs since the foot pad swelling in the group of mice received thalidomide and glucantime was significantly decreased (0.9 ± 0.2 mm) compared to mice treated with either glucantime, thalidomide, or carrier alone (1.2 ± 0.25, 1.4 ± 0.3, and 1.7 ± 0.27 mm, respectively). Cytokine study showed that the effect of thalidomide was not dependent on IL-12; however, it up-regulated IFN-γ and down-regulated IL-10 production. Conclusively, thalidomide seems promising as a conjunctive therapy with antimony in murine model of visceral leishmaniasis.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Deciphering Molecular Mechanisms of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Pathogenesis and Drug Repurposing through Systems Biology Fatemeh Saberi, Zeinab Dehghan, Zahra Taheri, Tayyebeh Pilehchi, Hakimeh Zali Iranian Biomedical Journal.2024; 28(4): 179. CrossRef
A standardized intraperitoneal Glucantime™ for experimental treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania amazonensis in BALB/c mice Aline Ávila Brustolin, Nathália Martins Franzói, Áquila Carolina Fernandes Herculano Ramos-Milaré, Cínthia Akemi Tanoshi, Camila Alves Mota, Izabel Galhardo Demarchi, Maria Valdrinez Campana Lonardoni, Thaís Gomes Verzignassi Silveira Experimental Parasitology.2022; 236-237: 108259. CrossRef
Effect of Synergism of Thalidomide and Liposomal Amphotericin-B on Leishmania tropica and Leishmania donovani Promastigote Nasma I. Al-Mamary, Haitham L. Al-Hayali Bionatura.2022; 7(2): 1. CrossRef
Thalidomide suppresses inflammation in adenine-induced CKD with uraemia in mice Alexandre C. Santana, Sabrina Degaspari, Sergio Catanozi, Humberto Dellê, Larissa de Sá Lima, Cleonice Silva, Paula Blanco, Kim Solez, Cristoforo Scavone, Irene L. Noronha Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.2013; 28(5): 1140. CrossRef
Immunomodulation by chemotherapeutic agents against Leishmaniasis Piu Saha, Debanjan Mukhopadhyay, Mitali Chatterjee International Immunopharmacology.2011; 11(11): 1668. CrossRef
Immunomodulatory effect of picroliv on the efficacy of paromomycin and miltefosine in combination in experimental visceral leishmaniasis Shraddha A. Sane, Nishi Shakya, Suman Gupta Experimental Parasitology.2011; 127(2): 376. CrossRef
Potential utility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and propolis in enhancing the leishmanicidal activity of glucantime Diana Copi Ayres, Thiago Antonio Fedele, Maria Cristina Marcucci, Selma Giorgio Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo.2011; 53(6): 329. CrossRef
Anni 2.0: a multipurpose text-mining tool for the life sciences Rob Jelier, Martijn J Schuemie, Antoine Veldhoven, Lambert CJ Dorssers, Guido Jenster, Jan A Kors Genome Biology.2008;[Epub] CrossRef
First
Prev
