Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free range chickens in the Pantanal area of Brazil.
The aim of this paper was to genetically characterize Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free range chickens in regions of Brazilian territory in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) where T. gondii strains have never been studied. In total, T. gondii isolates from 22 free range chickens were included in this study. Fifty chickens from Eldorado, thirty from Rio Verde and ten from Aquidauana were sampled between January and April 2007. In relation to the genetic diversity of T. gondii isolates from chickens in MS, the magnitude of the diversity in the isolates sampled in this study was comparable to the overall diversity in a composite data set. These 22 isolates in MS revealed 11 genotypes, whereas the 321 isolates ever genotyped in Brazil have revealed 95 genotypes. The values of Simpson's Diversity Index for the whole population of T. gondii isolates in Brazil, the whole population of T. gondii isolates from chickens in Brazil and the population surveyed in this study were 0.97, 0.95 and 0.90, respectively. Seven of the 11 genotypes revealed from chicken isolates from MS are newly described genotypes and six of them each have a single isolate. In conclusion, the results obtained from isolates in MS corroborate previous studies on T. gondii isolates in Brazil, thus confirming their diversity and atypicality. Nonetheless, the applicability of PCR-RFLP markers for epidemiological inferences remains controversial.
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, CEP 05508-270, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. rosoares@usp.br
Rodrigo Martins
RM
Soares
Luciane Holsback
LH
Silveira
Aristeu Vieira
AV
da Silva
Alessandra
A
Ragozo
Susiana
S
Galli
Estela Gallucci
EG
Lopes
Solange M
SM
Gennari
Hilda Fátima
HF
de Jesus Pena
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D005838:Genotype; D051379:Mice; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*