First isolation and molecular characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from finishing pigs from São Paulo State, Brazil.
Toxoplasma gondii infection is widely prevalent in humans in Brazil. Among the food animals, pigs are considered the most important meat source of T. gondii for infection in humans. In the present study, we report the first isolation of viable T. gondii from finishing pigs in Brazil. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 49 (17%) of 286 pigs prior slaughter using the modified agglutination test (MAT) at a serum dilution of 1:25. Attempts were made to isolate T. gondii from 28 seropositive pigs. Samples of heart, brain, and tongue from each pig were pooled, digested in acid pepsin, and bioassayed in five mice per pig. Viable T. gondii was isolated from seven pigs; all isolates were lethal for mice. Restriction fragment length polymorphism on products of SAG2 locus amplified by PCR revealed that two isolates were Type I and five were Type III. The results indicate that phenotypically and genetically T. gondii isolates from pigs from Brazil are distinct from isolates of T. gondii from pigs in the USA.
de A Dos Santos
Cláudia B
CB
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias da Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
de Carvalho
Angela C F B
AC
Ragozo
Alessandra M A
AM
Soares
Rodrigo M
RM
Amaku
Marcos
M
Yai
Lúcia E O
LE
Dubey
J P
JP
Gennari
Solange M
SM
D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D001938:Brazil; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D051379:Mice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000469:parasitology*
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C067547:surface antigen P22, Toxoplasma