title: Molecular detection and genotypic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii infection in bats in four provinces of China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide variety of warm-blooded hosts, including humans. Limited information about T. gondii infection in bats is available in China. The objective of the present study was to determine prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gondii infection in bats in Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  During May 2005 to August 2013, bats were sampled from Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces, China, and liver tissues were collected for the detection of T. gondii by a nested PCR targeting the B1 gene. The positive samples were genotyped at 11 genetic markers (SAG1, 5'-and 3'-SAG2, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, c22-8, c29-2, and Apico) using multilocus polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 626 bats representing 10 species were examined for T. gondii infection, 38 (6.1%) were tested positive with by PCR, 8 positive DNA samples were completely genotyped, of which 3 samples (2 from Cynopterus sphinx, and 1 from Murina leucogaster) represented ToxoDB#10, and 5 samples (2 from Murina leucogaster, 2 from Myotis chinensis, and 1 from Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) belonged to ToxoDB#9 ( http://toxodb.org/toxo/ ).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study revealed an overall T. gondii prevalence of 6.1% in bats from Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces in China, and reported two T. gondii genotypes (ToxoDB#9 and #10) having a wide geographical distribution in China. These results provide new genetic information about T. gondii infection in bats, and have implications for better understanding of the genetic diversity of T. gondii in China and elsewhere.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. qinsiyuan0303@126.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. qinsiyuan0303@126.com.
authors.forename: Si-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. messicw@163.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. messicw@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130122, PR China. liuye827@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130122, PR China. linan226@126.com.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130122, PR China. 851077608@qq.com.
authors.forename: Ze-Dong
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. kid372820378@163.com.
authors.forename: Fu-Kai
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. siyang.huang@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Si-Yang
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.|Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, 225009, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Military Veterinary Institute, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Jilin Province for Zoonosis Prevention and Control, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130122, PR China. liuquan1973@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002685:Chiroptera; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005838:Genotype; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015995:Prevalence; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019371:Topography, Medical; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins