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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Animals, Biomarkers, Disease Models, Animal, Early Diagnosis, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, MicroRNAs, Toxoplasma, Toxoplasmosis, Up-Regulation.
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Are plasma microRNAs promising novel biomarkers for the early detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection? Context: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be present in plasma, which are remarkably stable, and have been suggested as disease biomarkers. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a protozoan parasite that is infective to a wide range of animals and human beings. Previous studies have found that the parasite generated a large number of miRNAs during proliferation and it is known that the spectrum of miRNA expression in the infected hosts is pathogen-specific. To date, there are no reports regarding the application of microRNAs as biomarkers for the early detection of T. gondii infection. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of 414 murine miRNAs and tested their expression levels in the plasma after T. gondii infection by real-time PCR, with an ultimate purpose of identifying infection-related miRNAs. Three miRNAs in particular, exhibiting prominently elevated expressions, were further validated in a large number of infected mice. The Toxoplasma infection-specific miRNAs were confirmed by comparing their expression levels with those of mice infected with Plasmodium berghei, P. yoelii, P. chabaudi, Cryptosporidium parvum, Mouse hepatitis virus, and Staphylococcus aureus. Among the 414 miRNA candidates identified by a real-time PCR array, 71 were found to be up-regulated in the plasma of T. gondii infected mice. Three of those miRNAs (mmu-miR-712-3p, mmu-miR-511-5p and mmu-miR-217-5p) were prominently expressed in mice infected by both the RH and ME49 strains of T. gondii. Additionally, the elevated expression of these miRNAs was Toxoplasma-specific.
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The levels of the three miRNAs, mmu-miR-712-3p, mmu-miR-511-5p and mmu-miR-217-5p miRNAs, were found specifically up-regulated in plasma of mice after T. gondii infection. Final Decision: yes