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Contaminated water confirmed as source of infection by bioassay in an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in South Brazil
Author(s) -
Minuzzi Camila Encarnação,
Fernandes Fagner D'ambroso,
Portella Luiza Pires,
Bräunig Patricia,
Sturza Diego Artemio Franco,
Giacomini Leandro,
Salvagni Emerson,
Ribeiro Jessica dos Santos,
Silva Camila Ribeiro,
Difante Cledison Márcio,
Farinha Lourdes Bonfleur,
Menegolla Ivone Andreatta,
Gehrke Gisele,
Dilkin Paulo,
Sangioni Luis Antonio,
Mallmann Carlos Augusto,
Vogel Fernanda Silveira Flores
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.13741
Subject(s) - toxoplasmosis , toxoplasma gondii , outbreak , biology , serology , bioassay , ingestion , veterinary medicine , transmission (telecommunications) , water source , pathogen , contamination , contaminated food , contaminated water , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , medicine , ecology , antibody , chemistry , environmental chemistry , biochemistry , environmental science , water resource management , electrical engineering , engineering
The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a causative agent of toxoplasmosis, an important and widespread zoonotic disease. The transmission of this disease in humans includes ingestion of sporulated oocysts present in contaminated water or food. T. gondii oocysts are widely distributed and toxoplasmosis is considered a major food‐ and waterborne pathogen worldwide, making drinking water containing sporulated T. gondii oocysts a major source of contamination for people. In the first half of 2018, an unprecedented outbreak of toxoplasmosis was reported in the city of Santa Maria, southern Brazil. The temporal and spatial distribution of the cases strongly suggested a waterborne infection. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate a possible involvement of treated water as a source of the outbreak. For this, piglets received potentially contaminated water ad libitum for 21 days and the infection was monitored by serology through IFAT and investigation of T. gondii DNA in tissues by PCR amplification of a 529 bp followed by mouse bioassays. All piglets receiving test water ad libitum for 21 days as well as positive controls seroconverted to T. gondii . T. gondii DNA was detected in 62.5% of the piglets that received test water. All mice inoculated with tissues from each positive piglet were PCR‐positive. These results strongly indicated the presence of viable oocysts in the test water administered to the animals during the study.