Reinfection of pregnant goats with Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle & Manceaux, 1909)

• Grant number: 09/11401-0
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: January 01, 2010 - February 29, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal researcher: Alvimar José da Costa
• Grantee: Alvimar José da Costa
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The high frequency of toxoplasmic infection in goats, the great possibility of these animals are reinfected with Toxoplasma gondii and the lack of literature on reproductive consequences in pregnant goats caused by a reinfection, led the proposed project. Twenty-five goats, between one and three years old, serologically negative for T. gondii (IIF-IgG) are distributed in five experimental groups: five females inoculated with oocysts of T. gondii at 40 days of gestation (GI), five females inoculated with oocysts of T. gondii to 80 days of gestation (GII), five females inoculated with oocysts of T. gondii to 120 days of gestation (GIII), five female non-inoculated, kept as positive control (IV) and five females negative for toxoplasmosis as the negative control group (GV). Before inoculation, daily until the 15th day post-infection and every three days until the 45 days of pregnancy be performed clinical examinations, obstetric and serum in goats. From 46 days until the end of pregnancy these tests will be performed weekly. The serum samples will be examined through the IFI, to search for antibodies against T. gondii. Histopathological examinations, immunohistochemical, bioprova and PCR be performed in tissue fragments of goats and their "products", to detect parasitism by T. gondii. The young born alive will be euthanized after 30 days and their tissues will be searched in the presence of T. gondii, using the same techniques described above. Will be applied to F tests of treatment effect and Tukey a 5% significance for the comparisons between the means and treatments. In summary, objective of this research was to elucidate the importance of toxoplasmic reinfection in pregnant goats, but also describe the main pathological consequences resulting from this reinfection, a fact unprecedented in the literature consulted. (AU)