Pelster B, Piekarski G, Suzuki N
Z Parasitenkd. 1976 Apr 30;49(2):113-25. doi: 10.1007/BF00382418.
Three days after infection of mice with a virulent strain of T. gondii first histopathological destructions of the thymus are visible. The number of lymphocytes decreases step by step till to the animals' day of death on the 7th day p.i. At this time the cortex has lost all its thymocytes. Electronmicroscopical pictures show destruction of most of the reticulum cells and lymphocytes. In those cells which are still alive multiplicaiton of Toxoplasma trophozoites is to be seen. A lot of parasites are lying extracellular in the detritus of the destroyed thymus-cells. After infection of mice with an avirulent strain of T. gondii there is a loss of lymphocytes in the cortex of the thymus too. Starting at day 5th to 7th p.i. it reaches its peak at the time of the 10th to 15th day after infection. After this period restitution of lymphocytes in the cortex is going on. At about the 30th day p.i. replacement of all the lymphocytes is finished. Sometimes the cortex seems to be enlarged, that means now there are more thymocytes in the cortex than in uninfected controls. Neither reticulum cells nor lymphocytes show destruction of their ultrastructure. Only a process of activation of the lymphocytes can be seen by electronmicroscopy. In the lymphocytes the mitochondria are enlarged and there are more than in the controls. At the same time Golgi-apparatus and endoplasmatic reticulum become prominent.
用强毒株弓形虫感染小鼠三天后，胸腺首次出现组织病理学破坏。淋巴细胞数量逐渐减少，直至感染后第7天动物死亡。此时，皮质层已失去所有胸腺细胞。电子显微镜照片显示大多数网状细胞和淋巴细胞遭到破坏。在仍然存活的细胞中，可以看到弓形虫滋养体在增殖。许多寄生虫位于被破坏的胸腺细胞残骸的细胞外。用无毒株弓形虫感染小鼠后，胸腺皮质层的淋巴细胞也会减少。从感染后第5天至第7天开始，在感染后第10天至第15天达到峰值。在此之后，皮质层中的淋巴细胞开始恢复。在感染后约第30天，所有淋巴细胞的替换完成。有时皮质层似乎会扩大，这意味着此时皮质层中的胸腺细胞比未感染的对照组更多。网状细胞和淋巴细胞的超微结构均未显示破坏。通过电子显微镜只能看到淋巴细胞的激活过程。淋巴细胞中的线粒体增大，数量比对照组更多。与此同时，高尔基体和内质网变得更加突出。
