Molecular and Histopathological Following up of Toxoplasmagondii Infection in Experimentally Infected New Zealand Rabbits

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan that infects humans and a broad range of warm-blooded animals. Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic zoonotic worldwide diseases. The present study was divided into two experiments, the first experiment aimed to follow up of T. gondii infection in semen and tissues of experimentally infected rabbit bucks. It carried out on 28 mature male New Zealand rabbits divided into 4 groups.The first group (high dose group) was inoculated subcutaneously (s/c)and intra peritoneal (I/P) with 15×104 tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii of RH strain, semen samples were collected pre-inoculation and at weekly post-inoculation (P/I) intervals for two weeks. The second group (immune-competent group) was inoculated s/c with 15×104 tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii of RH strain.The third group (immune-suppressive group) was inoculated s/c with 15×104 tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii of RH strain and was subjected to immunosuppressive drug regimens. The fourth group was the control.