Any Biology /b/ro around?
I need some help explaining something for a lab report. We recently went to a Biotechnology center near my university, where we tested for Toxoplasmosis in various animal tissue cells using PCR.
In our results, we found that there was positive response in Toxoplasmosis in the brain tissue of a squirrel, but not in the heart. One of our hypothesis was that if Toxoplasmosis were to be found in any tissue of an animal, all other tissues would present the same results.
This has obviously been proven false, but I don't actually understand why this would be the case.
Any /b/ro wanna help a nigga out? This is literally the last thing for me to do before I finish the term.
Pic Unrelated
BBB?
>>767859692
Find "X".
>>767859692
>bioLOGy
>>767859820
That's Algebra, a way easier topic
>>767859782
Eh, what do you mean by BBB?
What are your other hypotheses?
Answer your question by trying to affirm those, comparing your results to the Toxoplasmosis findings in the squirrel, and make another hypothesis that's more relevant.
>>767859692
Maybe it's because it's a parasitic infection and those are generally localized, no?
>>767859692
A couple of different ideas. You messed up the testing in the other tissues. The parasite can't survive in the heart tissue, but was perfectly capable of surviving in the brain. Perhaps it simply hadn't spread yet in enough generations. Can you give us your methodology, when it was infected, and anything else that might be useful?
Granted, it's been about four years since I graduated and I've been working in a completely different field (not even sure how I got the job since it has nothing to do with bio), so I might be missing something.
Have you brought this up in /sci/ yet?
They'd be more informed about this than /b/.
>>767860183
Oh sorry.
I meant "Y".
>>767859782
confirmed
>>767860183
Blood brain barrier, Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite and it cannot pass through it
>>767859692
IIRC toxoplasmosis is a parasite whose nymphs need rodents to grow, but needs to be in a feline in order to mature. To that end it influences the mind of it's host so the host (and the parasite with it) get eaten by cats. As such, it has no need to be present in any other part of a rodent other than the brain (and the bloodstream in order to reach the brain) and is probably unsuited to survive in any other tissue.
>>767861177
BBB protects against micro-organisms, however a parasite can probably just chew/cut it's way through.
>>767860455
I'm not sure if they'd appreciate an anon asking for help in his lab report, especially since I'm a bit of a brainlet in comparison.
>>767860402
Wait you mean in the experiment variables may have been measured wrong, and that it should have reached the heart?
>>767861177
>Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite and it cannot pass through it
From what I (albeit, semi briefly read) online, the BBB is more active in the brain. However, the brain was infected while the Heart not. How could it be? Or am I understanding wrong?
>>767861323
>>767859692
Like was said, the squirrel would be an intermediate host meaning it wouldnt necessarily have spread to the cardiac tissue of the squirrel if it is already present in the brain
tissue tropism
/thread
>>767862269
To clarify, a parasite is never "already present" in the brain, it needs to travel there.
As for the heart: though there probably are trace amount of the parasite in (the blood in) the heart, they're so few in numbers they don't register.
>>767859692
That is the modus operandi of toxoplasmosis though anon, it targets the brain.
It's a microorganism that reproduces inside predators(mostly cats) and to get in there it changes the brain structures of prey animal, making them attracted to the smell of cat piss.
Also you should be able to read all about this with a quick search on the subject.
>>767862769
I thought I'd read this, but I wanted to confirm just in case there was a more in-depth answer.
>>767862440
Care to share this with the class, anon?
>>767863033
>Care to share this with the class, anon?
He just did, look up tissue tropism anon, it might help you.
>>767863223
>>767862440
So what you guys are trying to say is that, the reason Toxoplasmosis was present in the brain but not the heart is because the brain tissue was the Toxoplasmosis' primary target through Tissue Tropism, as explained by >>767862769
?
Could >>767862692 also be a possibility, since the heart was protected from the parasite's attack?
>>767863905
the heart isn't protected, it's just not hospitable.
same reason as why there're no lions in forests.
forests aren't protected, the lions just can't find their food and so can't survive there.
>>767863905
The heart isn't really protected as much as it isn't the target.
It's the same reason you won't find intestinal worms in the brain.
>>767859692
Med here
the answer is "easy" to explain. But i won't give you my time, but i'll give you a the "short" answer
Tropism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropism
>>767864848
Even if it's short, I sincerely appreciated it, thanks anon!
>>767864848
Also, almost every other answer here is either half wrong, or full idiotic.
>>767864944
Np, gl with your report.
>>767864989
Well he did ask in a board that isn't really about biology.
Had he asked in /an/, there would probably be way more accurate answers.
