Ocular toxoplasmosis: in the storm of the eye

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) can occur in the children of mothers infected with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy. It is not limited to the congenitally infected, but can also occur following adult-acquired infection or as a result of disease reactivation in immune-compromised and pregnant individuals...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Parasite immunology 2006-12, Vol.28 (12), p.635-642
Main Authors: JONES, L.A, ALEXANDER, J, ROBERTS, C.W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Female
Humans
immune privilege
immunopathology
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C57BL
ocular toxoplasmosis
Pregnancy
Toxoplasma - pathogenicity
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasmosis, Ocular - congenital
Toxoplasmosis, Ocular - immunology
Toxoplasmosis, Ocular - physiopathology
Toxoplasmosis, Ocular - transmission
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Summary:Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) can occur in the children of mothers infected with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy. It is not limited to the congenitally infected, but can also occur following adult-acquired infection or as a result of disease reactivation in immune-compromised and pregnant individuals. Many aspects of immune privilege in the eye, including constitutive TGF-β expression and reduced MHC class 1 expression, would appear at first to favour parasite survival. Conversely, many of the mechanisms that control parasite multiplication in other anatomical sites, such as nitric oxide expression, IFN-γ and TNF-α, are known to disrupt immune privilege and are associated with ocular damage. Taking into account the opposing needs of limiting parasite multiplication and minimizing tissue destruction we review the pathogenesis of OT in the murine model.
ISSN:0141-9838
1365-3024
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-3024.2006.00874.x