Transplantation of skin grafts and organs infected with Toxoplasma gondii as a source of toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised mice

The possibility of Toxoplasma gondii infection resulting from transplantation of a skin graft and various organs has been investigated. The parasite was detected in very low numbers in all organs examined in wild-type (WT) BALB/c (B/c) mice that received skin grafts from infected interferon gamma knockout (GKO) B/c mice both with and without sulfamethoxazole treatment; all recipient mice survived. In contrast, transplantation of skin grafts from untreated infected WT B/c mice to na?ve GKO B/c mice led to the death of all recipients within 20 days post-transplantation; T. gondii was found to be disseminated in all organs examined. Similar results were obtained after transplantation of skin from untreated and treated GKO B/c mice to na?ve GKO B/c mice, whereas the recipient GKO B/c mice died within 10 days after intraperitoneal transplantation of lung, heart, brain or small intestine from infected untreated GKO B/c mice. These results indicate that skin grafts as well as various organs infected with T. gondii can be sources of infection in immunocompromised hosts. Toxoplasmosis should therefore be taken into consideration during organ transplantation to immunocompromised hosts.