Search of Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle & Manceaux, 1909) in urine and saliva of prime-infected felines (Felis catus)

• Grant number: 14/03747-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2014
• End date: April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Alvimar José da Costa
• Grantee: Giovana Pavão Vital
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to diagnose the presence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in urine and saliva of cats experimentally infected with this coccidia. Six male cats, serologically negative for T. gondii, will be selected to form two groups. Four cats inoculated with tachyzoites (RH strain) subcutaneously (GI) and two cats as non-infected control (GII). The presence of this protozoa in urine and saliva of the experimental cats will be tested by bioassay in mice. As a secondary objective, clinical and hematological examinations (including parasitemia) will be performed in all cats, at the time of urine and saliva collection. The Tukey test will be applied with 95% of significance for comparisons between means of the groups.