ArticlePloS one2021
Behavioral alterations in long-term Toxoplasma gondii infection of C57BL/6 mice are associated with neuroinflammation and disruption of the blood brain barrier.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers.
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42 citing papers in PubMed, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Role of the Blood-Brain Barrier in the Pathophysiology of Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia: A Comparative Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- IFN-γ protects the human blood-brain barrier from Toxoplasma gondii-mediated dysfunction via CCL2 suppression.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Article
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- Acod1/itaconate axis controls anxiety-like behaviors induced by chronic infection of Toxoplasma gondii in mice.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Tau is necessary for Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced blood-brain barrier dysfunction.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Combined Glycoprotein Mutations in Rabies Virus Promote Astrocyte Tropism and Protective CNS Immunity in Mice.Viruses · 2026Article
- Article
- Exploring the role of infectious pathogens in Alzheimer's disease neuroinflammation.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Interference of phototherapy with blue LED light on the behaviour of mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Recombinant ROP6 protein expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae INVSc1 cells induced strong immune response and provided significant protection against toxoplasmosis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Influenza virus-like particles presentingNanomedicine (London, England) · 2025Article
- BFD2 mediates inflammation, apoptosis, and pre-anxiety-like behaviors induced by acute Toxoplasma gondii infection.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Review
- Beyond Latency: ChronicBiomedicines · 2025Review
- Comprehensive analysis of Toxoplasma gondii migration routes and tissue dissemination in the host.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Review
- Article
- Neuroinflammation-A Crucial Factor in the Pathophysiology of Depression-A Comprehensive Review.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- The Legalome: Microbiology, Omics and Criminal Justice.Microbial biotechnology · 2025Article
- Review
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The Apicomplexa protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a mandatory intracellular parasite and the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. This illness is of medical importance due to its high prevalence worldwide and may cause neurological alterations in immunocompromised persons. In chronically infected immunocompetent individuals, this parasite forms tissue cysts mainly in the brain. In addition, T. gondii infection has been related to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as mood, personality, and other behavioral changes. In the present study, we evaluated the kinetics of behavioral alterations in a model of chronic infection, assessing anxiety, depression and exploratory behavior, and their relationship with neuroinflammation and parasite cysts in brain tissue areas, blood-brain-barrier (BBB) integrity, and cytokine status in the brain and serum. Adult female C57BL/6 mice were infected by gavage with 5 cysts of the ME-49 type II T. gondii strain, and analyzed as independent groups at 30, 60 and 90 days postinfection (dpi). Anxiety, depressive-like behavior, and hyperactivity were detected in the early (30 dpi) and long-term (60 and 90 dpi) chronic T. gondii infection, in a direct association with the presence of parasite cysts and neuroinflammation, independently of the brain tissue areas, and linked to BBB disruption. These behavioral alterations paralleled the upregulation of expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and CC-chemokines (CCL2/MCP-1, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL4/MIP-1β and CCL5/RANTES) in the brain tissue. In addition, increased levels of interferon-gamma (IFNγ), TNF and CCL2/MCP-1 were detected in the peripheral blood, at 30 and 60 dpi. Our data suggest that the persistence of parasite cysts induces sustained neuroinflammation, and BBB disruption, thus allowing leakage of cytokines of circulating plasma into the brain tissue. Therefore, all these factors may contribute to behavioral changes (anxiety, depressive-like behavior, and hyperactivity) in chronic T. gondii infection.
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