title: Detection ofToxoplasma gondiiin small ruminants in Chennai using PCR and modified direct agglutination test.
abstract: A total of 193 sera samples, along with tissues (lung, heart, and brain) collected from 136 sheep and 57 goats from the Corporation slaughter house, Madras Veterinary College teaching hospital, and private mutton shops from Chennai were tested forToxoplasma gondii. All the sera samples were tested using modified direct agglutination test. Of the 193 sera samples, 57 (29.5 %) had a minimum titre of 1:20, with 30.14 % (41/136) of sheep and 28.07 % (16/57) of goats being seropositive. Tissue samples from all 193 animals, when subjected to B1 based PCR to detectT. gondiiDNA, showed 3.67 and 3.50 % to be positive in sheep and goats, respectively. In the present investigation B1 based PCR detectedT. gondiiin low numbers, possibly due to limitation of the sample size. The presence ofT. gondiiin tissues of sheep and goats slaughtered for human consumption in Chennai indicates the role of these food animals as potential sources of infection to human.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary College, KVAFSU, Bidar, 585401 India.
authors.forename: Ajay Suryakant
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7211-8919
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Satbige
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Madras Veterinary College, Vepery, Chennai, Tamilnadu 600 007 India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vijaya Bharathi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Madras Veterinary College, Vepery, Chennai, Tamilnadu 600 007 India.
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Ganesan
authors.affiliation: PGRIAS, TANUVAS, Kattupakkam, Chennai, 600056 India.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sreekumar
authors.affiliation: Defence Food Research Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Siddarthanagar, Mysore, Karnataka 570 011 India.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rajendran
keywords: B1 PCR; Modified direct agglutination test; Sheep and goats; Toxoplasma gondii