Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Parasitology 1735-7020 13 2 2018 06 25 215 224 Khalid HAJISSA Dept. of Zoology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Omdurman Islamic University, Omdurman, Sudan AND Dept. of Medical Microbiology Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Ku-bang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia Robaiza ZAKARIA Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Ku-bang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia Rapeah SUPPIAN Biomedicine Program, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kuban Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia Zeehaida MOHAMED Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Ku-bang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia 2018 06 25 2018 06 25 Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a widely prevalent intracellular protozoan parasite which causes serious clinical and veterinary problems. Development of an effective vaccine for controlling toxoplasmosis is an extremely important aim. In the present study, the protective efficacy of recombinant multiepitope antigen (USM.TOXO1) expressing nine potential epitopes identified from SAG1, GRA2, and GRA7 of Toxoplasma gondii was evaluated in BALB/c mice. Methods: Mice were immunized subcutaneously with three doses of USM.TOXO1 antigen (10 µg/ml). Following the immunization, the IgG antibody, IgG subclass, IFN-γ and IL-4 production were evaluated using ELISA, the study was conducted at Animal Research and Service Center (ARASC), USM Health Campus in 2016. Results: Mice immunized with USM.TOXO1 significantly induced a mixed Th1/Th2 response polarized toward the IgG1 antibody isotype. While the cytokine analysis revealed a significant release of IFN-γ cytokines. Conclusion: USM.TOXO1 is a potential vaccine candidate that elicits strong immunity in BALB/c mice. The proven immunogenicity of the generated antigen can serve as a premise for further use of epitope-based vaccine in the immunoprevention of human and animal toxoplasmosis. https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/2204 https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/download/2204/829