Dear all, We are happy to announce that the following paper is now published in Developmental & Comparative Immunology. We investigated the innate immune response of bottlenose dolphins against apicomplexan parasite *Toxoplasma gondii*.
Michelle Imlau, Iván Conejeros, Tamara Muñoz-Caro, Ershun Zhou, Ulrich Gärtner, Kerstin Ternes, Anja Taubert, Carlos Hermosilla, Dolphin-derived NETosis results in rapid *Toxoplasma gondii *tachyzoite ensnarement and different phenotypes of NETs, Developmental & Comparative Immunology, Volume 103, 2020. *Abstract* *Toxoplasma gondii* is a cosmopolitan zoonotic parasite and nowadays considered as an emerging neozoan pathogen in the marine environment. Cetacean innate immune reactions against *T. gondii* stages have not yet been investigated. Thus, *T. gondii* tachyzoites were utilized to trigger neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus*) polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Scanning electron microscopy unveiled *T. gondii* tachyzoites as potent and rapid inducers of cetacean-derived NETosis. Co-localization of extracellular chromatin with global histones, granulocytic myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase confirmed classical characteristics of NETosis. Interestingly, different phenotypes of NETs were induced by tachyzoites resulting in spread, diffuse and aggregated NET formation and moreover, ‘anchored’ and ‘cell free’ NETosis was also detected. Current data indicate that cetacean-derived NETosis might represent an early, ancient and well-conserved host innate defense mechanism that not only acts against *T. gondii* but might also occur in response to other closely related emerging apicomplexan parasites affecting marine cetaceans. *Link to full text*: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145305X19302964?utm_campaign=STMJ_75273_AUTH_SERV_PPUB&utm_medium=email&utm_dgroup=Email1Publishing&utm_acid=-800202876&SIS_ID=-1&dgcid=STMJ_75273_AUTH_SERV_PPUB&CMX_ID=&utm_in=DM601392&utm_source=AC_30> Best regards, Michelle Michelle Imlau, med. vet. Pathology Resident Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health (FIWI) Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern michelle.im...@vetsuisse.unibe.ch
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