Behavioral and cellular changes triggered by sublethal doses of Stx2. Tironi-Farinati Carla, Monteiro-Gomes Guilherme, Cangelosi Adriana, Geoghegan Patricia, Cejudo Maria Laura, Pinto Alipio, Maribel Rubin, Goldstein Jorge.

TIRONI-FARINATI CARLA; MONTEIRO-GOMES GUILHERME; CANGELOSI ADRIANA; GEOGHEGAN PATRICIA; CEJUDO MARIA LAURA; PINTO ALIPIO; RUBIN MARIBEL; GOLDSTEIN JORGE

Congreso; XXVI Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencia; 2011

Infection by Shiga toxin (Stx2)-producing enterohemorrhagic E. coli (STEC) causes hemorrhagic colitis, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and neurological complications mainly in children. We developed a model to simulate some of the consequences of STEC infection. Our aim is to study the action of 2 sub lethal doses of Stx2 (Stx2sd) or saline at 4, 7 and 20 days in 20-25gr NIH mice. Mice were subjected to a set of behavioral tests: Open Field, Elevated plus maze, Object recognition and Rotarod. No changes in Open field, Elevated plus maze and Rotarod were recorded in none of the 3 concentrations tested. Significative differences were found at 4 and 7 days at the higher concentration in the Object recognition test. However, the change in memory is reverted at day 20. To study the effect of dsStx2 at a cellular level and to understand the reversion of the damage at 20d, we performed confocal double fluorescence studies in the hippocampus with: anti-Stx2, tomato lectin, Fluorojade-b, NeuN and GFAP. We observed a rise in the vascular area and GFAP marker which descends after 20 days. The present findings indicate that sublethal doses of Stx2 alter the memory of treated mice and this is compatible with clinical reports of children who develop STEC derived encephalopaties.