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Prevalence and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in free-range chickens from grocery stores and farms in Maryland, Ohio and Massachusetts, USA.
- Source :
-
Parasitology research [Parasitol Res] 2017 May; Vol. 116 (5), pp. 1591-1595. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Mar 24. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Chickens are considered important in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii. Chicken hearts (n = 1185) obtained from grocery stores were tested for T. gondii infection. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed in fluid removed from the heart cavity using the modified agglutination test (MAT) at 1:5, 1:25, and 1:100 dilutions. MAT antibodies were detected in 222 hearts at 1:5 dilution and 8 hearts at 1:25 dilution, but none were positive at 1:100 dilution. Seropositive (n = 230, 19.4%) chicken hearts were bioassayed in mice and seronegative (n = 157) chickens were bioassayed in cats. Viable T. gondii was not isolated from any hearts by bioassays in mice. The 2 cats fed 60 and 97 hearts did not excrete T. gondii oocysts. The results indicate a low prevalence of viable T. gondii in chickens from grocery stores. Molecular typing of 23 archived T. gondii strains isolated from free-range chickens from Ohio and Massachusetts using the 10 PCR-RFLP markers including SAG1, SAG2 (5'-3'SAG2 and altSAG2), SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico revealed that seven were ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype #1, 11 were genotype #2, one was genotype #3, three were genotype #170, and one was mixed genotype. These results indicate that the clonal genotypes #1 (type II), #2 (type III), and #3 (type II variant) are common in free-range chickens.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan genetics
Antibodies, Protozoan immunology
Biological Assay veterinary
Cats
Chickens immunology
Farms
Genetic Markers genetics
Genotype
Heart parasitology
Humans
Maryland epidemiology
Massachusetts epidemiology
Mice
Ohio epidemiology
Oocysts
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
Prevalence
Toxoplasma genetics
Toxoplasmosis, Animal parasitology
Agglutination Tests veterinary
Chickens parasitology
Toxoplasma classification
Toxoplasma isolation & purification
Toxoplasmosis, Animal epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1432-1955
- Volume :
- 116
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Parasitology research
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 28337538
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5420-3