title: Long-term survival of Toxoplasma gondii sporulated oocysts in seawater.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is now recognized as an important pathogen in costal marine mammals. Oocysts from cat feces are believed to be washed into seawater and serve as a source of infection via transport hosts. Experimentally, it has been demonstrated that T. gondii oocysts can sporulate in seawater and remain infectious for mice for up to 6 mo. The present study examined the long-term survival of T. gondii in seawater (15 ppt NaCl) kept at 4 C or at room temperature. Oocysts kept at 4 C for 24 mo were orally infectious for mice, while those kept at room temperature for 24 mo were not.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 1410 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA. lindsayd@vt.edu
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D002645:Chickens; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D033661:Oocysts / Q000502:physiology; D012623:Seawater / Q000469:parasitology*; D013696:Temperature; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*