Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Contrasting Disease Progression, Microglia Reactivity, Tolerance, and Resistance to Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Two Mouse Strains

Daniel Guerreiro Diniz
ORCID logo ,
Jhonnathan Henrique Palheta de Oliveira
,
Luma Cristina Ferreira Guerreiro
,
Gabriel Castro de Menezes
ORCID logo ,
Alexa Camila Lopes de Assis
,
Tainá Quintella Duarte
,
Izabelly Biase Damasceno dos Santos
,
Flávia Domingues Maciel
,
Gabrielly Lisboa da Silva Soares
,
Sanderson Corrêa Araújo
,
Felipe Tuji de Castro Franco
,
Ediclei Lima do Carmo
,
Rafaela dos Anjos Pinheiro Bogoevich Morais
ORCID logo ,
Camila Mendes de Lima
,
Dora Brites
ORCID logo ,
Daniel Clive Anthony
ORCID logo ,
José Antonio Picanço Diniz
ORCID logo ,
Cristovam Wanderley Picanço-Diniz
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 18 April 2024 / Approved: 19 April 2024 / Online: 22 April 2024 (08:41:09 CEST)

How to cite: Diniz, D.G.; de Oliveira, J.H.P.; Guerreiro, L.C.F.; de Menezes, G.C.; de Assis, A.C.L.; Duarte, T.Q.; dos Santos, I.B.D.; Maciel, F.D.; Soares, G.L.D.S.; Araújo, S.C.; Franco, F.T.D.C.; do Carmo, E.L.; Morais, R.D.A.P.B.; de Lima, C.M.; Brites, D.; Anthony, D.C.; Diniz, J.A.P.; Picanço-Diniz, C.W. Contrasting Disease Progression, Microglia Reactivity, Tolerance, and Resistance to Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Two Mouse Strains. Preprints 2024, 2024041333. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1333.v1 Diniz, D.G.; de Oliveira, J.H.P.; Guerreiro, L.C.F.; de Menezes, G.C.; de Assis, A.C.L.; Duarte, T.Q.; dos Santos, I.B.D.; Maciel, F.D.; Soares, G.L.D.S.; Araújo, S.C.; Franco, F.T.D.C.; do Carmo, E.L.; Morais, R.D.A.P.B.; de Lima, C.M.; Brites, D.; Anthony, D.C.; Diniz, J.A.P.; Picanço-Diniz, C.W. Contrasting Disease Progression, Microglia Reactivity, Tolerance, and Resistance to Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Two Mouse Strains. Preprints 2024, 2024041333. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1333.v1

Abstract

Our study investigated the innate immune response to Toxoplasma gondii infection by assessing microglial phenotypic changes and sickness behavior as inflammatory response markers post-ocular tachyzoite instillation. Disease progression in Swiss albino mice was compared with documented outcomes in BALB/c mice using identical ocular route and parasite burden (2x105 tachyzoites), with saline as control. Contrary to expectations, Swiss albino mice displayed rapid, lethal disease progression, marked by pronounced sickness behaviors and mortality within 11-12 days post-infection, while survivors showed no apparent signs of infection. Comparative analysis revealed T. gondii-infected BALB/c mice exhibited reduced avoidance of feline odors, while in-fected Swiss albino mice showed enhanced avoidance responses. There was a significant increase in microglial cells in the dentate gyrus molecular layer of infected Swiss albino mice compared to BALB/c mice and their respective controls. Hierarchical cluster and discriminant analyses iden-tified three microglial morphological clusters, differentially affected by T. gondii infection across strains. BALB/c mice exhibited increased microglial branching and complexity, while Swiss al-bino mice showed reduced shrunk microglial arbors, diminishing morphological complexity. These findings highlight strain-specific differences in disease progression and inflammatory reg-ulation, indicating lineage-specific mechanisms in inflammatory responses, tolerance, and re-sistance. These elements are critical in devising control measures for toxoplasmosis.

Keywords

Toxoplasma gondii; tolerance; resistance; ocular infection; microglia; dentate gyrus; sickness behavior

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Neuroscience and Neurology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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