title: Occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii and Hammondia hammondi oocysts in the faeces of cats from Germany and other European countries.
abstract: Faecal samples of 24,106 cats from Germany and other European countries were examined microscopically in a veterinary laboratory in Germany between October 2004 and November 2006 to estimate the prevalence of animals shedding Toxoplasma gondii or Hammondia hammondi oocysts. Oocysts of 9-15 microm size with a morphology similar to that of H. hammondi and T. gondii were found in 74 samples (0.31%). A total of 54 samples were further characterised to achieve a species diagnosis and to determine the genotype of T. gondii isolates by PCR and PCR-RFLP. From these samples, 48 isolates were obtained: 26 (0.11%) were finally identified as T. gondii and 22 (0.09%) as H. hammondi. T. gondii-positive samples came from Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland while H. hammondi was detected in samples from Germany, Austria and Italy. In two samples (one T. gondii and one H. hammondi), PCR indicated the presence of Hammondia heydorni DNA. No Neospora caninum DNA was detected in any of the feline faecal samples. Twenty-two of the 26 T. gondii isolates could be genotyped. A PCR-RFLP analysis for the SAG2, SAG3, GRA6 and BTUB genes revealed T. gondii genotype II in all cases. Morphologically, H. hammondi oocysts exhibited a statistically significantly smaller Length-Width-Ratio than T. gondii oocysts.
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Seestrasse 55, D-16868 Wusterhausen, Germany. gereon.schares@fli.bund.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schares
authors.forename: M Globokar
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vrhovec
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pantchev
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Conraths
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D033661:Oocysts; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D021745:Sarcocystidae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan