Caspase-11 Modulates Inflammation and Attenuates Toxoplasma gondii Pathogenesis

Figure 6

Toxoplasma gondii infection resulted in increased brain inflammation in Casp11^−/− mice during late stages of disease. Wild type, Casp11^−/−, and Asc^−/− mice were infected with 1,000 Toxoplasma gondii Me49 tachyzoites via i.p. administration and brains were evaluated 25 days after inoculation in surviving mice. (a) Histopathologic assessments of H&E stained sections revealed increased inflammation in the brains from all animals infected with T. gondii. 20x magnification. (b) Parameters associated with neuroinflammation were assessed and scored for each animal. Composite scores for each animal were averaged to generate a semiquantitative brain inflammation score. (c) Leptomeningitis was a predominate feature in all T. gondii infected animals. 20x magnification. (d) Histopathology scoring revealed significant increases in leptomeningitis in Casp11^−/− mice. ; . For all mock treated animals, . For all T. gondii inoculated animals, . Data shown are representative of 2 independent studies.

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