Open AccessDiagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in Ruminants Aborted Fetuses in Northern Iran Using Molecular and Bioassay Techniques
Author(s) -
Kaveh Azimi,
Afsaneh Amouei,
Mehdi Sharif,
Shahabeddin Sarvi,
Nemat Shams,
Azadeh Mizani,
Seyed Abdollah Hosseini,
Saeid Salehi,
Mohhamad Reza Safari-Kharyeki,
Tooran Nayeri,
Zahra Hosseininejad,
Ahmad Daryani
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iranian journal of parasitology./iranian journal of parasitology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.477
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 2008-238X
pISSN - 1735-7020
DOI - 10.18502/ijpa.v16i2.6273
Subject(s) - toxoplasma gondii , veterinary medicine , biology , toxoplasmosis , genotyping , flock , livestock , parasite hosting , bioassay , fetus , abortion , ruminant , virology , pregnancy , genotype , immunology , medicine , antibody , gene , ecology , biochemistry , genetics , world wide web , computer science , crop
Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide range of warm-blooded species. This study aimed to obtain further information on the role of T. gondii infection in ruminant abortion (sheep, goats and cattle) using bioassay and PCR methods in Mazandaran province, northern Iran.
Methods: Overall, 104 aborted fetuses (52 bovine, 48 ovine, 4 caprine) were collected at different stages of gestation during the lambing seasons in various parts of Mazandaran Province from Mar 2016 to May 2017. Brains of 104 aborted fetuses were bioassayed in female BALB/c mice. DNA was extracted from all brain samples using phenol-chloroformisoamyl Alcohol instructions. RE gene was used for detection all of T. gondii DNA by conventional PCR assay.
Results: The results of the bioassayed samples were negative because no tachyzoites or cyst were observed in the peritoneal and brain specimens of the mice. The detection of T. gondii DNA was confirmed by observation of a 529 bp band in 15 out of 104 fetuses (14.4%). The highest prevalence rate of T. gondii detected from sheep (16.6%) followed by cattle (13.4%) and goats (0%). The highest prevalence of the infection was observed in east area, while the lowest prevalence of the infection was observed in west area.
Conclusion: T. gondii infection may partly be responsible for abortion and economic losses in livestock husbandry in this region. Therefore, further additional researches such as genotyping T. gondii and designing control strategies for improving management in livestock flocks are necessary.