Recombinant <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> expressing OVA confers antigen-specific protection against <i>Eimeria falciformis</i>.

ABSTRACT: Coccidiosis, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, remains a major enteric disease that requires effective antigen-specific cellular immunity for protection. In this study, we evaluated genetically engineered Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan parasite closely related to Eimeria, as a live-vector platform for antigen delivery and induction of protective immunity against Eimeria infection. Recombinant RHΔku80 strains expressing ovalbumin (OVA) alone or fused with four tandem copies of complement fragment C3d (OVA-C3d₄) were generated using a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated strategy. Stable transgene integration and expression were confirmed by PCR, immunofluorescence assay, western blotting, and whole-genome resequencing. Phenotypic character

SUBMITTER: Sun Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC13624080 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature