Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains from female patients with toxoplasmosis

Abstract

Thirty-eight female patients with abortion and intrauterine fetal death were selected from the Obstetric and Gynecology Emergency, Ain Shams University Hospitals, with positive PCR results for toxoplasmosis in previous study. In this study, a rapid and efficient procedure was used for genotyping of T. gondii isolates based on PCR-RFLP assay at SAG2 locus. On the basis of the alleles identified at SAG2 locus, the isolates were grouped into three lineages. Type I was determined by resistance of the 3' & 5' end nested product of the SAG2 locus to cleavage by HhaI & Sau3AI respectively. Resistance of 5' end of SAG2 locus to cleavage by HhaI determined type II. Type III was determined by resistance of the 3' end nested-PCR products of SAG2 locus to cleavage by Sau3AI. Of the 38 isolates, type II was the most prevalent genotype found in 33 (87%). Type I was found in 5 (13%) of the isolates, whereas genotype III was not never found.