Immunohistochemical characterization of the immune response in brain of lambs experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is cyst-forming intracellular coccidian parasite, diffused world-wide and able to infect virtually all warm-blooded animals, including humans. If the first contact with the parasite occurs during pregnancy, both sheep and women can develop serious reproductive consequences, such as abortion and congenital infection. Within immunocompetent intermediate hosts, Toxoplasma gondii is able to establish a chronic and life-long infection, especially in muscle and nervous tissues. The persistence of the parasite within infected tissues is ensured by the active balance between defensive mechanisms of the host immune system and the evasive strategies of the parasite. Here we employed several antibodies in order to investigate the activation status and the cytokine production of recruited inflammatory cells in experimentally induced ovine toxoplasmic encephalitis.