Isolation and biological characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from chicken in Northeast Brazil

• Grant number: 06/00743-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2006
• End date: November 30, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Solange Maria Gennari
• Grantee: Luciana Nunes de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide distributed parasitic zoonosis caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, obligatory intrecellular parasite, that can infect human beings and warm blooded animals. Cats are the only definitive hosts where parasite sexual replication occurs. Other animal species are considered intermediate host where assexual multiplication occurs. In Brazil chicken seropositivity varies from 39 to 66%, but little is known about genetic characterization from the parasite strains. Genetic characterization from different strains and isolates through molecular methods are been done in human, ovine, pig and chicken samples and reveals informations about epidemiology at different ecosystems. In order to evaluate T. gondii genetic diversity series of studies are being conducted in assyntomatic chicken from different contries. Those chicken get infected from oocysts present in the environment and that way, T. gondii prevalence in chicken could indicate environmental contamination . Recent publications show different results from chicken samples obtained from Brazil compared to the other contries. It have been isolated Type I and III at the bioassay in mice and not type II. Studies on chicken isolates reveal environmental contamination and the genotyping and the bioassay can indicate information about epidemiology and pathogenicity from the isolates. The present project has the objective of 1. Evaluate T. gondii occurrence in chicken from the Northeast region of Brazil (data that is not known up to now) and 2. Have a biological characterization from those isolates.