Prevalence and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in free-range chickens from grocery stores and farms in Maryland, Ohio and Massachusetts, USA.
Chickens are considered important in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii. Chicken hearts (n = 1185) obtained from grocery stores were tested for T. gondii infection. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed in fluid removed from the heart cavity using the modified agglutination test (MAT) at 1:5, 1:25, and 1:100 dilutions. MAT antibodies were detected in 222 hearts at 1:5 dilution and 8 hearts at 1:25 dilution, but none were positive at 1:100 dilution. Seropositive (n = 230, 19.4%) chicken hearts were bioassayed in mice and seronegative (n = 157) chickens were bioassayed in cats. Viable T. gondii was not isolated from any hearts by bioassays in mice. The 2 cats fed 60 and 97 hearts did not excrete T. gondii oocysts. The results indicate a low prevalence of viable T. gondii in chickens from grocery stores. Molecular typing of 23 archived T. gondii strains isolated from free-range chickens from Ohio and Massachusetts using the 10 PCR-RFLP markers including SAG1, SAG2 (5'-3'SAG2 and altSAG2), SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico revealed that seven were ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype #1, 11 were genotype #2, one was genotype #3, three were genotype #170, and one was mixed genotype. These results indicate that the clonal genotypes #1 (type II), #2 (type III), and #3 (type II variant) are common in free-range chickens.
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
Yuqing
Y
Ying
United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
Shiv K
SK
Verma
United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
Oliver C H
OCH
Kwok
Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases), University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., S208, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
Fatima
F
Alibana
Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases), University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., S208, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
Rima
R
Mcleod
Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, M409 Walters Life Sciences, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
Chunlei
C
Su
United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA.
Jitender P
JP
Dubey
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA. akp@umd.edu.|Center for Food Safety and Security Systems, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA. akp@umd.edu.
Abani K
AK
Pradhan
D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D002415:Cats; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D000072480:Farms; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006321:Heart / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D051379:Mice; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D033661:Oocysts; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015995:Prevalence; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D005819:Genetic Markers
Chickens; Free range; Genotyping; Grocery stores; Toxoplasma gondii