Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: Toxoplasma gondii associates with human Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and induces prostatic hyperplasia and accompanying urinary dysfunction in mice
doi: 10.64898/2026.04.23.720409
Figure Lengend Snippet: Systemic infection with Toxoplasma infects and inflames the mouse prostate but has mouse strain-distinct effects on hyperplasia. It has previously been shown that systemic Toxoplasma infects and induces inflammation in rodent prostates and induces nodular hyperplasia in the CBA/j strain of mice. The applicability of CBA/j mice to prostate modeling was unclear. To confirm this finding, we assessed infectability, inflammation, and formation of microglandular hyperplasia and nodule formation across mouse strains. A, a rosette of Toxoplasma surrounded by severe lymphocytic and monocytic inflammation in following systemic infection in CBA/j mice. B, Systemic Toxoplasma infection induces inflammation in mice in several strains (B57, CBA/J, and CD-1) as determined by H&E and crude inflammation scoring. However, only CBA/j mice exhibit a significant formation of glandular nodules [C,D] with microglandular hyperplasia among the strains. C, a region of Toxoplasma- associated microglandular hyperplasia and putative forming nodules; D, calculations of percent of mice in each strain and group that exhibit microglandular hyperplasia and/or forming nodules among mouse strains infected with Toxoplasma versus control. n=10, comparisons made, infected versus control in 2×2 table with Chi-square analysis with Yates correction.
Article Snippet: Male and female CBA/j, C57Bk6/j, (Jackson Laboratories) or CD-1 (Charles River) mice were housed in the Laboratory Animal Resource Center (LARC) at Indiana University School of Medicine under the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, after all protocols were approved by the Indiana University School of Medicine Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Techniques: Infection, Control