TY  - JOUR
AU  - Bauman, Neda
AU  - Srbljanović, Jelena
AU  - Čolović Čalovski, Ivana
AU  - Lijeskić, Olivera
AU  - Ćirković, Vladimir
AU  - Trajković, Jelena
AU  - Bobić, Branko
AU  - Ilić, Andjelija Ž
AU  - Štajner, Tijana
PY  - 2024
UR  - http://rimi.imi.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1473
AB  - Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite existing in three infectious life stages—tachyzoites, bradyzoites, and sporozoites. Rupture of tissue cysts and re-conversion of bradyzoites to tachyzoites leads to reactivated toxoplasmosis (RT) in an immunocompromised host. The aim of this study was to apply ImageJ software for analysis of T. gondii brain cysts obtained from a newly established in vivo model of RT. Mice chronically infected with T. gondii (BGD1 and BGD26 strains) were treated with cyclophosphamide and hydrocortisone (experimental group—EG) or left untreated as infection controls (ICs). RT in mice was confirmed by qPCR (PCR+); mice remaining chronically infected were PCR−. A total of 90 images of cysts were analyzed for fractal dimension (FD), lacunarity (L), diameter (D), circularity (C), and packing density (PD). Circularity was significantly higher in PCR+ compared to IC mice (p < 0.05 for BGD1, p < 0.001 for the BGD26 strain). A significant negative correlation between D and PD was observed only in IC for the BGD1 strain (ρ = −0.384, p = 0.048), while fractal parameters were stable. Significantly higher D, C, and PD and lower lacunarity, L, were noticed in the BGD1 compared to the more aggressive BGD26 strain. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the complexity of structural alterations of T. gondii cysts in an immunocompromised host and emphasize the application potential of ImageJ in the experimental models of toxoplasmosis.
PB  - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
T2  - Fractal and Fractional
T2  - Fractal and Fractional
T1  - Structural Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii Brain Cysts in a Model of Reactivated Toxoplasmosis Using Computational Image Analysis
IS  - 3
SP  - 175
VL  - 8
DO  - 10.3390/fractalfract8030175
ER  - 

@article{
author = "Bauman, Neda and Srbljanović, Jelena and Čolović Čalovski, Ivana and Lijeskić, Olivera and Ćirković, Vladimir and Trajković, Jelena and Bobić, Branko and Ilić, Andjelija Ž and Štajner, Tijana",
year = "2024",
abstract = "Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite existing in three infectious life stages—tachyzoites, bradyzoites, and sporozoites. Rupture of tissue cysts and re-conversion of bradyzoites to tachyzoites leads to reactivated toxoplasmosis (RT) in an immunocompromised host. The aim of this study was to apply ImageJ software for analysis of T. gondii brain cysts obtained from a newly established in vivo model of RT. Mice chronically infected with T. gondii (BGD1 and BGD26 strains) were treated with cyclophosphamide and hydrocortisone (experimental group—EG) or left untreated as infection controls (ICs). RT in mice was confirmed by qPCR (PCR+); mice remaining chronically infected were PCR−. A total of 90 images of cysts were analyzed for fractal dimension (FD), lacunarity (L), diameter (D), circularity (C), and packing density (PD). Circularity was significantly higher in PCR+ compared to IC mice (p < 0.05 for BGD1, p < 0.001 for the BGD26 strain). A significant negative correlation between D and PD was observed only in IC for the BGD1 strain (ρ = −0.384, p = 0.048), while fractal parameters were stable. Significantly higher D, C, and PD and lower lacunarity, L, were noticed in the BGD1 compared to the more aggressive BGD26 strain. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the complexity of structural alterations of T. gondii cysts in an immunocompromised host and emphasize the application potential of ImageJ in the experimental models of toxoplasmosis.",
publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)",
journal = "Fractal and Fractional, Fractal and Fractional",
title = "Structural Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii Brain Cysts in a Model of Reactivated Toxoplasmosis Using Computational Image Analysis",
number = "3",
pages = "175",
volume = "8",
doi = "10.3390/fractalfract8030175"
}

Bauman, N., Srbljanović, J., Čolović Čalovski, I., Lijeskić, O., Ćirković, V., Trajković, J., Bobić, B., Ilić, A. Ž.,& Štajner, T.. (2024). Structural Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii Brain Cysts in a Model of Reactivated Toxoplasmosis Using Computational Image Analysis. in Fractal and Fractional
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)., 8(3), 175.
https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8030175

Bauman N, Srbljanović J, Čolović Čalovski I, Lijeskić O, Ćirković V, Trajković J, Bobić B, Ilić AŽ, Štajner T. Structural Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii Brain Cysts in a Model of Reactivated Toxoplasmosis Using Computational Image Analysis. in Fractal and Fractional. 2024;8(3):175.
doi:10.3390/fractalfract8030175 .

Bauman, Neda, Srbljanović, Jelena, Čolović Čalovski, Ivana, Lijeskić, Olivera, Ćirković, Vladimir, Trajković, Jelena, Bobić, Branko, Ilić, Andjelija Ž, Štajner, Tijana, "Structural Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii Brain Cysts in a Model of Reactivated Toxoplasmosis Using Computational Image Analysis" in Fractal and Fractional, 8, no. 3 (2024):175,
https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8030175 . .