Abstract
Congenital toxoplasmosis has a high impact on human disease worldwide, inducing serious consequences from fetus to adulthood. Despite this, there are currently no human vaccines available to prevent this infection. Most vaccination studies against Toxoplasma gondii infection used animal models in which the infection was established by exogenous inoculation. Here, we review recent research on potential T. gondii vaccines using animal models in which infection was congenitally established. Endeavors in this field have so far revealed that live or subunit vaccines previously found to confer protection against extrinsically established infections can also protect, at least partially, from vertically transmitted infection. Nevertheless, there is no consensus on the more adequate immune response to protect the host and the fetus in congenital infection. Most of the vaccination studies rely on the assessment of maternal systemic immune responses, quantification of parasitic loads in the fetuses, and survival indexes and/or brain parasitic burden in the neonates. More research must be carried out not only to explore new vaccines but also to further study the nature of the elicited immune protection at the maternal-fetal interface. Particularly, the cellular and molecular effector mechanisms at the maternal-fetal interface induced by immunization remain poorly characterized. Deeper knowledge on the immune response at this specific location will certainly help to refine the vaccine-induced immunity and, consequently, to provide the most effective and safest protection against T. gondii vertical infection.
Highlights
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite and the etiologic agent of congenital toxoplasmosis
Vaccination in Congenital Toxoplasmosis disease is potentially dangerous in women who become infected during pregnancy, as it can lead to transplacental transmission of the parasite upon primary infection or re-infection with highly virulent strains [5, 6]
Most of the research work that addresses vaccination using vertical T. gondii infection models assessed the immune response to vaccination, determining the IgG isotypes and cytokines produced in response to parasite antigen stimulation
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite and the etiologic agent of congenital toxoplasmosis. Female Swiss OF1 mice immunized with Dmic1-3 strain exhibited higher levels of IFN-g and IL-2 and a smaller number of brain cysts compared to non-immunized mice when infected with T. gondii. It showed to be effective by both subcutaneous (sc) and intraperitoneal (ip) routes, inducing protection against abortion, a higher rate of viable lambs and a decrease of brain parasite cysts in the lambs born from vaccinated ewes [31].
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