Teixeira Weslen Fabricio Pires, Tozato Maria Eduarda Gonçalves, Pierucci Julia Cestari, Vital Giovana Pavão, Cruz André Cayeiro, Lopes Welber Daniel Zanetti, Cursino Marina Suzuki, Joaquim Samea Fernandes, Soares Vando Edésio, Langoni Helio, Bresciani Kátia Denise Saraiva, Costa Alvimar José da
Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP/CPPAR, Access route Prof. Paulo Donatto Castellane, no number, CEP: 14884-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP/CPPAR, Access route Prof. Paulo Donatto Castellane, no number, CEP: 14884-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil; Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74605050, Brazil.
Vet Parasitol. 2017 Apr 30;238:90-93. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.04.003. Epub 2017 Apr 3.
This study aimed to investigate the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in semen, testicle and epididymis tissues of cats experimentally infected by this coccidium. A total of 12 male felines without a definite breed that were of reproductive age and serologically negative for T. gondii were selected and distributed to the following three experimental groups: GI, inoculated with 600 tissue cysts of the P strain of T. gondii (isolate III); GII, inoculated with 2×10 tachyzoites of the RH strain (isolate I); and GIII, not inoculated (control group). Prior to inoculation (day -7 and 0) and on post inoculation days (PIDs) 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, and 70, all felines were subjected to assessments of anti-T. gondii IgG by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and assessments of parasitemia. Collection of semen (electroejaculation) was performed on the specified dates, followed by nested PCR and bioassays in mice to detect T. gondii. On PID 70, all 12 felines were orchiectomized, and the presence of the parasite in the testicles and epididymides was evaluated by nested PCR, murine bioassay, and histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. All felines inoculated with T. gondii (GI and GII) seroconverted to the toxoplasmic infection after PID 14; on PID 7, seroconversion of three felines (P4, RH2 and RH4) could observed, and all exhibited detectable titers by PID 64. The GII felines exhibited greater serological titers compared with GI felines. The maximum serological titer (IgG) was observed in feline RH3 (titer 1024), while in other experimental felines, a maximum titer of 256 was detected. Parasitemic peaks were diagnosed in all felines of groups I and II from PIDs 7-42. A total of five parasitemic peaks were diagnosed in GI and nine in GII. In none of the experimental time points was the presence of T. gondii diagnosed in seminal samples collected from the felines or in the testicle or epididymis tissues collected from these animals. Thus, sexual transmission in domestic cats does not appear to be a major route of T. gondii infection, possibly demonstrating the tendency of this protozoan to develop a response directed to the formation and excretion of oocysts in the feces of these definite hosts, which act as its main route of perpetuation in the environment.
本研究旨在调查经该球虫实验感染的猫的精液、睾丸和附睾组织中是否存在刚地弓形虫。总共选择了12只无特定品种、处于生殖年龄且刚地弓形虫血清学检测呈阴性的雄性猫科动物，并将其分为以下三个实验组：GI组，接种600个刚地弓形虫P株（分离株III）的组织包囊；GII组，接种2×10个RH株（分离株I）的速殖子；GIII组，不接种（对照组）。在接种前（第-7天和第0天）以及接种后第7、14、21、28、42、56和70天，对所有猫科动物进行抗刚地弓形虫IgG的间接免疫荧光（IIF）评估和寄生虫血症评估。在指定日期采集精液（电刺激采精），随后进行巢式PCR和小鼠生物测定以检测刚地弓形虫。在接种后第70天，对所有12只猫科动物进行睾丸切除，通过巢式PCR、小鼠生物测定以及组织病理学和免疫组织化学分析评估睾丸和附睾中是否存在寄生虫。所有接种刚地弓形虫的猫（GI组和GII组）在接种后第14天血清转化为弓形虫感染；在接种后第7天，可观察到三只猫（P4、RH2和RH4）血清转化，并且在接种后第64天所有猫的抗体效价均可检测到。与GI组的猫相比，GII组的猫血清学效价更高。在猫RH3中观察到最高血清学效价（IgG）（效价为1024），而在其他实验猫中，检测到的最高效价为256。在接种后第7 - 42天，I组和II组的所有猫均诊断出寄生虫血症高峰。GI组共诊断出5个寄生虫血症高峰，GII组共诊断出9个。在从猫采集的精液样本或从这些动物采集的睾丸或附睾组织中，在任何实验时间点均未诊断出刚地弓形虫的存在。因此，家猫中的性传播似乎不是刚地弓形虫感染的主要途径，这可能表明这种原生动物倾向于针对这些终末宿主粪便中卵囊的形成和排泄产生反应，而粪便作为其在环境中的主要传播途径。
