Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026
06:33
3-D Imaging and Analysis of Neurons Infected In Vivo with Toxoplasma gondii
Published on: December 9, 2014
11.4K
Toxoplasma gondii and Rabies-The Parasite, the Virus, or Both?
Ragan Wilson1, Shannon Caseltine2, Edith Will1
1Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
Microorganisms
|January 25, 2025
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 3.96% of animal cerebellum samples submitted for rabies testing. This finding highlights T. gondii as a potential differential diagnosis for neurological signs mimicking rabies.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Parasitology
- Zoonotic Diseases
- Neuropathology
Background:
- Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread protozoan parasite with zoonotic potential, known to cause behavioral alterations.
- Rabies virus is a significant zoonotic pathogen causing fatal neurological disease in animals and humans.
- Overlapping clinical signs between T. gondii infection and rabies necessitate differential diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in cerebellum tissues submitted for rabies testing.
- To assess the potential of T. gondii as a differential diagnosis in cases with rabies-like clinical signs.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 903 cerebellum tissue samples from 22 animal species collected between May 2022 and April 2024.
- Samples were submitted to the Oklahoma Animal Diagnostic Disease Laboratory for rabies testing.
- Toxoplasma gondii DNA detection was performed using molecular methods.
Main Results:
- An overall prevalence of 3.96% for T. gondii DNA was found across all tested species.
- Prevalence varied by species: 1.8% in cats, 1.7% in dogs, 0.3% in skunks, and 0.2% in cattle.
- A significant difference in T. gondii prevalence was observed in dogs between neutered (7.94%) and intact males (1.61%). All T. gondii positive samples were rabies-negative.
Conclusions:
- Toxoplasma gondii is prevalent in animals with neurological signs, often presenting with symptoms that can be mistaken for rabies.
- The study supports considering T. gondii as a differential diagnosis, especially when rabies testing is negative.
- Further investigation into T. gondii's role in neurological disease in various animal species is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Rabies
Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae. Its primary mode of transmission to humans is through bites or saliva-contaminated scratches from infected mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, or foxes. Transmission can also occur if infectious saliva contacts abraded skin or intact mucous membranes, including the conjunctiva.Viral Entry and Early ReplicationOnce introduced at the bite or scratch...
01:25Arboviral Encephalitis
Arboviral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation caused by arthropod-borne viruses, particularly those transmitted through mosquito vectors. Among these, West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a significant public health concern. WNV is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Human infection typically begins when an infected mosquito introduces the virus into the dermis during feeding. The primary transmission cycle involves birds as amplifying hosts...
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:26Encephalitis ll: Pathophysiology
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by direct viral invasion or immune-mediated mechanisms triggered by infections or tumors. Both processes lead to neuronal injury, disrupted neurotransmission, and diverse neurological symptoms, often with overlapping clinical and pathological features.Autoimmune EncephalitisIn autoimmune encephalitis, antibodies target neuronal antigens on cell surfaces, synapses, or within neurons. A key example is anti-NMDAR encephalitis, which can...