Serological profile of antibodies and isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from eyes donated to the bank of eyes of the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto

• Grant number: 17/18084-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Hilda Fátima de Jesus Pena
• Grantee: Ana Beatriz Melles Cassinelli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Ocular Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, one of the parasites with the widest distribution in the world. Ocular infection, more precisely retinal, together with the resultant inflammatory reaction, is the mais manifestation of the disease in humans, and can lead to blindness even in immunocompetent individuals. One of the factors that can explain the increased prevalence and severity of ocular lesions in Brasil is the bigger virulence of T. gondii strains compared to those found in other countries. These strains were isolated almost exclusively from wild and domestic animals, and there is a shortage of viable isolates from infected humans. Most studies on this topic rely on DNA genotyping from infected subjects, without the isolation of any living form of the parasite that could be used for in vitro studies. Because of that, it is extremely relevant to isolate viable forms of the T. gondii that can be cultivated and studied in vitro, from infected individuals presenting ocular lesions attributed to the parasite. In the present study, we will determine the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in eye donors from the Eye Bank of Ribeirão Preto Medicine School (USP), and the characteristics of ocular lesions attributed to T. gondii and isolation in mouse of the parasites that may be present within the dissected ocular tissues. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CASSINELLI, Ana Beatriz Melles. Epidemiology of Ocular Toxoplasmosis in Eye Banks from São Paulo State, Brazil. 2021. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD) São Paulo.