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Molecular and biological characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free-range chickens from Guyana, South America, identified several unique and common parasite genotypes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2007

J. P. DUBEY ,
L. APPLEWHAITE ,
N. SUNDAR ,
G. V. VELMURUGAN ,
L. A. BANDINI ,
O. C. H. KWOK ,
R. HILL  and
C. SU
J. P. DUBEY*
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
L. APPLEWHAITE
Affiliation:
3901 South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown, Guyana, South America
N. SUNDAR
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
G. V. VELMURUGAN
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
L. A. BANDINI
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
O. C. H. KWOK
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA
R. HILL
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0845, USA
C. SU
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0845, USA
*
*Corresponding author: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA. Tel: +1 301 504 8128. Fax: +1 301 504 9222. E-mail: jdubey@anri.barc.usda.gov
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Summary

The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging chickens (Gallus domesticus) is a good indicator of the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in the soil because chickens feed from the ground. The prevalence of T. gondii in 76 free-range chickens from Guyana, South America was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT), and found in 50 (65·8%) of 76 chickens with titres of 1:5 in four, 1:10 in one, 1:20 in five, 1:40 in seven, 1:80 in six, 1:160 in eight, 1:320 in four, 1:640 or higher in 15. Hearts and brains of 26 chickens with titres of <1:5 were pooled in 5 batches and bioassayed in mice. Hearts and brains of 50 chickens with titres of 1:5 or higher were bioassayed in mice. Toxoplasma gondii was isolated by bioassay in mice from 35 chickens with MAT titres of 1:20 or higher. All mice inoculated with tissues of 30 infected chickens remained asymptomatic. Toxoplasma gondii isolates from 35 chickens were genotyped using 11 PCR-RFLP markers including SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, a new SAG2, and Apico. A total of 9 genotypes were identified, with 5 genotypes (nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7) unique to Guyana, 2 genotypes (nos 2 and 3) previously identified in chickens from Brazil, 1 genotype (no. 8) previously identified in chickens from Brazil, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and 1 genotype (no. 9) belonging to the clonal type III lineage that exists globally. Infection with 2 genotypes was found from 1 chicken. This is the first report of genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from any host from Guyana.

Keywords

Toxoplasma gondiichickensGallus domesticusfree-rangeGuyanagenotype
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 134 , Issue 11 , October 2007 , pp. 1559 - 1565
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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