title: Antibody Detection and Molecular Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from Bobcats (Lynx rufus), Domestic Cats (Felis catus), and Wildlife from Minnesota, USA.
abstract: Little is known of the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in Minnesota. Here, we evaluated Toxoplasma gondii infection in 50 wild bobcats (Lynx rufus) and 75 other animals on/near 10 cattle farms. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed in serum samples or tissue fluids by the modified agglutination test (MAT, cut-off 1:25). Twenty nine of 50 bobcats and 15 of 41 wildlife trapped on the vicinity of 10 farms and nine of 16 adult domestic cats (Felis catus) and six of 14 domestic dogs resident on farms were seropositive. Toxoplasma gondii oocysts were not found in feces of any felid. Tissues of all seropositive wild animals trapped on the farm were bioassayed in mice and viable T. gondii was isolated from two badgers (Taxidea taxus), two raccoons (Procyon lotor), one coyote (Canis latrans), and one opossum (Didelphis virginiana). All six T. gondii isolates were further propagated in cell culture. Multi-locus PCR-RFLP genotyping using 10 markers (SAG1, SAG2 (5'-3'SAG2, and alt.SAG2), SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico), and DNA from cell culture derived tachyzoites revealed three genotypes; #5 ToxoDataBase (1 coyote, 1 raccoon), #1 (1 badger, 1 raccoon, 1 opossum), and #2 (1 badger). This is the first report of T. gondii prevalence in domestic cats and in bobcats from Minnesota, and the first isolation of viable T. gondii from badger.
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350.
authors.forename: Shiv K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1988 Fitch Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108.
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minicucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1988 Fitch Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108.
authors.forename: Darby
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Minnesota Department of Natural Resource, Division of Wildlife, 5463-C West Broadway, Forest Lake, Minnesota, 55056.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carstensen
authors.affiliation: Minnesota Department of Natural Resource, Division of Wildlife, 5463-C West Broadway, Forest Lake, Minnesota, 55056.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Humpal
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, St. Paul Downtown Airport 644 Bayfield Street, Suite 215, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55107.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calero-Bernal
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350.
authors.forename: Camila K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Cerqueira-Cézar
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350.
authors.forename: Oliver C H
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996-0845.
authors.forename: Chunlei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350.
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350.
authors.forename: Jitender P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000469:parasitology*; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D002415:Cats / Q000469:parasitology*; D002417:Cattle / Q000469:parasitology; D046029:Coyotes / Q000469:parasitology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004285:Dogs / Q000469:parasitology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005838:Genotype; D046008:Lynx / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D045969:Mustelidae / Q000469:parasitology; D033661:Oocysts; D009893:Opossums / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015995:Prevalence; D011821:Raccoons / Q000469:parasitology; D012699:Serology / Q000379:methods; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D016054:DNA, Protozoan
keywords: Bioassay; epidemiology; felids; genotype; isolation; strain; toxoplasmosis