Acute toxoplasmosis in hamsters and mice: measurement of pathogenicity by fever and weight loss
Elwell, M.R.; Frenkel, J.K.
American Journal of Veterinary Research 45(12): 2663-2667
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9645 PMID: 6524760 Document Number: 224546
In mice, infections with strains RH, T-1, and T-45 were always fatal, but with strain ts-4 the mice survived. In hamsters, RH strain always gave rise to a fatal infection and the T-1 strain killed about 90%, but as many as 106 tachyzoites of the T-45 and ts-4 strains failed to cause fatal infection. The lesions of the ts-4 infection in hamsters were limited to mononuclear inflammation and a scar at the injection site. Also, only the ts-4 strain did not produce chronic infection in hamsters. To evaluate degrees of pathogencity of the strains, percentages of mortality, survival time, and such subtle changes as fever and weight loss can be used.