Toxoplasma gondii infection in European mouflons (Ovis musimon) and captive wild felines from Puebla, México

Abstract

The presence of Toxoplasma gondii in zoos is cause of alert because many susceptible species kept in captivity die of clinical toxoplasmosis. Moreover, excretion of T. gondii oocysts by infected captive wild felines into the facilities could pose a risk to workers. Herbivores in wild collections can serve as sentinels of local transmission, since they get infected by the consumption of oocysts present in ground or water. Both herbivores and felids may reveal the parasite variants which are circulating in the region. We determined the seroprevalence of T. gondii in European mouflons (n = 55) and wild felines (n = 15) from a private zoological collection located in the Eastern region of México, as well as the incidence in 41 of the mouflons using ELISA. The prevalence of T. gondii in mouflons was 14.5% (n = 55) and 17.1% (n = 41) in 2011 and 19.5% in 2012. The estimated incidence was 9.8%–12.2%. In wild felines the frequency was 80%. Four sero-positive animals (two mouflons and the two oldest African lions) were euthanized. Histopathology, conventional PCR (for B1 and SeqRep529 loci) and molecular characterization were carried out. All euthanized animals were positive to T. gondii by PCR. We identified a triple infection (I + II + III) in the brain of a mouflon. In conclusion, a high infective pressure of T. gondii in the collection was found, supported by changes in its prevalence in European mouflons. A high prevalence of infection in wild felines was determined. At least four genotypes of T. gondii are present in herbivores and carnivores, and one mouflon had a mixed infection.

Acute Disseminated Toxoplasmosis in Two Specimens of Macropus rufogriseus Caused by a Genotype so far Exclusive to South America

“…The most common presentations of toxoplasmosis in macropods are reactivation of a latent infection, usually when they are stressed by transportation or handling, and acute toxoplasmosis due to a virulent strain of T. gondii ( 5 ). Zoo animals are infected when ingesting oocysts excreted by feral cats or captive wild felids in the collection that can be carried by zoo staff on their boots or washed away contaminating bodies of water, prairies, and enclosures ( 4 , 6 ). In addition to the diet that is commonly provided to macropods in zoos, these animals can become infected while either grazing or drinking contaminated water with oocysts ( 7 ).…”

Detección molecular de Brucella sp, Leptospira spp y Toxoplasma gondii en felinos domésticos y silvestres y el impacto zoonótico en el personal encargado de su manejo en Pereira, Colombia

“…El presente estudio determinó una prevalencia de 50% (2/4) de infección en felinos silvestres, aunque el tamaño muestral fue muy bajo, requiriendo de mayores estudios en poblaciones felinas silvestres para tener una mejor estimación de la frecuencia de esta enfermedad. La presencia de este parásito en animales silvestres infectados mantenidos en cautiverio representa un riesgo para los trabajadores (Valenzuela et al, 2020). La mayoría de los casos por Toxoplasma gondii en felinos son subclínicas o crónicas y pueden diagnosticarse indirectamente mediante pruebas serológicas como la detección de anticuerpos anti-Toxoplasma (Must et al 2017); sin embargo, la técnica de PCR presenta una mayor sensibilidad para diagnosticar toxoplasmosis activa en muestras biológicas en comparación con las pruebas serológicas (Gashout et al, 2016).…”

SAG3 Toxoplasma gondii cloning reveals unexpected fivefold infection in the blood of feral cats in the Mexican Caribbean

“…SAG3 is a locus involved in the parasite invasion process, and it is associated with its virulence [ 9 , 10 ]. We have been successful in amplifying and genotyping this marker by PCR-RFLP from clinical samples, detecting several mixed infections [ 7 , 8 , 11 , 12 ]. We previously reported two triple infections (I + II + III) by RFLP in blood samples of feral cats from the Mexican Caribbean, a finding that is becoming quite common in the country.…”