| Grant number: | 10/15022-1 |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| Start date: | March 01, 2011 |
| End date: | August 31, 2013 |
| Field of knowledge: | Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health |
| Principal Investigator: | Thelma Suely Okay |
| Grantee: | Thelma Suely Okay |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (IMT). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| City of the host institution: | São Paulo |
| Associated researchers: | Paulo Tadashi Shimokawa |
Abstract
Very little is known on the genetic predisposition to toxoplasmosis and the influence of the patient's genome and the parasite genotype in the outcome of infection, however, it is possible that certain HLA alleles could be associated with more severe infections, or on the contrary, could act as protective factors. Three parasite genotypes have already been described and associated with higher virulence (type I, predominating in ocular toxoplasmosis and encephalitis in HIV patients), lower virulence (type II predominating in congenital infections), and intermediate virulence (type III, predominating in other animals). One hundred amniotic fluid samples or fetal blood of patients with toxoplasmosis (convenience casuistic), and other 100 samples from a control group (pregnant women over 35 years of age submitted to amniocentesis to perform the fetal karyotype, and fetuses born at term from whom placenta cord blood will be collected). Samples of both groups will be analyzed with respect to the presence of HLA (DQA1 and DQB1) alleles by multiplex-PCR, and samples of the study group (with toxoplasmosis) will have the parasite genotyped by multiplex-nested-PCR followed by RFLP and DNA sequencing, and the parasite load evaluated by Real Time PCR. This new approach in the congenital toxoplasmosis model, i.e., determining the genetic profile of the patient and the parasite, as well as the parasite load might be useful to indicate the best therapeutic choice to the host-parasite unit, possibly leading to a future impact on the morbidity and mortality attributable to toxoplasmosis. (AU)
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