Parasite load in @entity840 foetus with real time PCR after maternofoetal transmission of XXXX .

@entity1 @entity1420 @entity840 @entity281 @entity6703 @entity3251 @entity3204
Parasite loads of different tissues were assessed in @entity840 foetus after @entity281 . Twelve female @entity840 were infected with 100 cysts of the 76 K strain of @entity3204 by the oral route. Inoculation was performed 20 +/- 5 days (G20) or 40 +/- 5 days (G40) after the beginning of gestation. Gestational age was determined by @entity1420 assay. Maternal and foetal organ samples were taken 60 days after the beginning of gestation. Parasite loads (from placenta, @entity6703 ( @entity6703 ), cord blood (CB), foetal brain, liver, lung and spleen) were assessed by a real-time PCR quantification using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) hybridization probes on the Light Cycler. Congenital transmission was proven by the presence of parasites in blood or tissue samples of the foetus in 84.6% (11/13) and 100% (16/16) of cases after inoculation on G20 and G40, respectively. The quantitative analysis of our results after inoculation at G20 and G40 has allowed us to determinate the positive parasitic loads as a function of the origin of the sample and the period of inoculation. The parasite loads expressed as log (parasite/g) were low in @entity6703 and CB samples: 1.49 +/- 0.50 and 1.05 +/- 0.10 at G20 and 1.21 +/- 0.36 and 1.20 +/- 0.42 at G40 respectively. In contrast the placenta and the different foetal tissues had higher parasite burdens: 2.89 +/- 0.54 to 5.30 +/- 0.51 at G20 and 2.81 +/- 0.71 to 3.65 +/- 0.59 at G40. All the placentae were positive for parasites even in the two cases with no proven transmission. Real time quantitative PCR using the hybridization probe was a very sensitive and reproducible technique to study the kinetics of @entity3251 in the @entity840 model wich is close to that of @entity1 .
