title: Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates in meningo-encephalitis affected striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Italy.
abstract: This study reports the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii in the brain of three striped dolphins (Stenella ceoruleoalba) found stranded on the Ligurian Sea coast of Italy between 2007 and 2008. These animals showed a severe, subacute to chronic, non-purulent, multifocal meningo-encephalitis, with the cerebral parenchyma of two dolphins harbouring protozoan cysts and zoites immunohistochemically linked to T. gondii. Molecular, phylogenetic and mutation scanning analyses showed the occurrence of Type II and of an atypical Type II T. gondii isolates in one and two dolphins, respectively. In spite of the different molecular patterns characterizing the above T. gondii genotypes, the brain lesions observed in the three animals showed common microscopic features, with no remarkable differences among them. The role of T. gondii in causing the meningo-encephalitis is herein discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Teramo, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Teramo, Italy. gdiguardo@unite.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Guardo
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Cesare
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Otranto
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casalone
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Iulini
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mignone
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tittarelli
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meloni
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: Seamus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traversa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis / Q000662:veterinary; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D007558:Italy; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D058889:Molecular Typing / Q000662:veterinary; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D050706:Stenella / Q000469:parasitology*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan