Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the brain of a dog in Australia and its biological and molecular characterization.
Toxoplasma gondii was isolated from the brain of a young dog for the first time in Australia. The identity of the parasite was confirmed by PCR, Western blotting, electron microscopy and cat bioassay. Genotyping of the isolate (TgDgAu1) was determined by PCR-RFLP markers that showed it to be a Type II strain. Western blotting demonstrated the presence of IgM antibodies to T. gondii suggesting the bitch was probably infected during pregnancy and the T. gondii was transmitted to the pups congenitally. We believe this represents the first description of a natural case of congenital transmission of T. gondii in the dog.
Al-Qassab
Sarwat
S
Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology, Sydney, P. O. Box 123, Broadway, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Reichel
Michael P
MP
Su
Chunlei
C
Jenkins
David
D
Hall
Craig
C
Windsor
Peter A
PA
Dubey
J P
JP
Ellis
John
J
D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan