Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Nasal rROP2 vaccine cuts oocyst shedding in cats
By Zulpo, Dauton Luiz et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2017·Departamento de Medicina Veteriná·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: rROP2 from Toxoplasma gondii as a potential vaccine against oocyst shedding in domestic cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of twelve domestic cats was tested to see if a new vaccine could reduce the shedding of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, which can be harmful to humans and other animals. The cats received either a vaccine made from a protein called rROP2 or a control treatment through their noses. After being exposed to the parasite, the cats that received the rROP2 vaccine shed fewer oocysts than those that did not receive the vaccine. However, the study found that the vaccine did not provide strong enough protection against shedding, suggesting that further research is needed to improve vaccine effectiveness.
People also search for: cat Toxoplasma vaccine · why is my cat shedding oocysts · Toxoplasma gondii treatment in cats
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate oocyst shedding in cats immunized by nasal route with T. gondii proteins ROP2. Twelve short hair cats (Felis catus) were divided in three groups G1, G2 and G3 (n=4). Animals from G1 received 100 μg of rROP2 proteins plus 20 μg of Quil-A, G2 received 100 μg of BSA plus 20 μg of Quil-A, and the G3 only saline solution (control group). All treatments were done by intranasal route at days 0, 21, 42, and 63. The challenge was performed in all groups on day 70 with ≅ 800 tissue cysts of ME-49 strain by oral route. Animals from G1 shed less oocysts (86.7%) than control groups. ELISA was used to detect anti-rROP2 IgG and IgA, however, there were no correlation between number of oocyst shedding by either IgG or IgA antibody levels. In the present work, in spite of lesser oocysts production in immunized group than control groups, it was not possible to associate the use of rROP2 via nostrils with protection against oocyst shedding. For the future, the use of either other recombinant proteins or DNA vaccine, in combination with rROP2 could be tested to try improving the efficacy of this kind of vaccine.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28403374/