Figure 7.

Mouse infection with ΔTgLaf tissue cysts results in milder illness and lower cyst burden. CBA/J mice were infected i.p. with 20 cysts taken from previously infected mouse brains and monitored for symptomology and death. Tissue cysts were harvested from mice infected for 4 or 6 weeks respectively. A, Symptomology throughout the acute and early chronic phase of infection as described in Figure 6B. B, Kaplan-Meier curve of mouse survival during the acute and early chronic infection reveal low overall mortality associated with cyst initiated infections for all parasite lines. C, Tissue cyst burden following a 4-week bradyzoite initiated infection. Cyst numbers were determined as described in Figure 6C. Statistical comparison of cyst burden was done using unpaired two-tailed t-tests. Statistical significance: *p<0.05, ns=p>0.05.