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Title: ISOLATION OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII FROM GOATS FROM BRAZIL

Author
item RAGOZO, A - SAO PAULO UNIV, BRAZIL
item YAI, L - SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
item OLIVEIRA, L - SAO PAULO UNIV, BRAZIL
item DIAS, R - SAO PAULO UNIV, BRAZIL
item GONCALVES, H - UNIV EST PAULISTA, BRAZIL
item AZEVEDO, S - UNIV FED CAMPINA GRANDE B
item Dubey, Jitender
item GENNARI, S - SAO PAULO UNIV, BRAZIL

Submitted to: Journal of Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2009
Publication Date: 5/1/2009
Citation: Ragozo, A.M., Yai, L.E., Oliveira, L.N., Dias, R.A., Goncalves, H.C., Azevedo, S.S., Dubey, J.P., Gennari, S.M. 2009. Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from goats from Brazil. Journal of Parasitology. 95:323-326.

Interpretive Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite of all warm-blooded hosts worldwide. It causes mental retardation and loss of vision in children, and abortion in livestock. Cats are the main reservoir of T. gondii because they are the only hosts that can excrete the resistant stage (oocyst) of the parasite in the feces. Humans become infected by eating undercooked meat from infected animals and food and water contaminated with oocysts. Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and an university in Brazil report isolation of Toxoplasma from muscles of goats killed for human consumption. The results will be of interest to biologists, parasitologists, and veterinarians.

Technical Abstract: Goats are economically important in many countries and little is known of caprine toxoplasmosis in Brazil. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed in the sera of 143 goats from 3 Brazilian States, using modified agglutination test (MAT titer =1:25); 46 (32.2%) tested positive. Samples of brain, heart, diaphragm and masseter of seropositive animals were pooled, digested in pepsin, and biossayed in mice. Viable T. gondii was isolated from tissue homogenates of 12 goats; the isolates were designated TgGtBr1-12. Ten of the 12 isolates killed 100% of infected mice indicating that goats can harbor mouse-virulent T. gondii and, hence, can serve as a source of infection for humans.