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. 2022 Sep;8(5):2005-2011.
doi: 10.1002/vms3.870. Epub 2022 Jul 9.

Toxoplasma gondii clonal type III is the dominant genotype identified in Grenadian pigs

Alfred Chikweto  1 , Andy Alhassan  1 , Chunlei Su  2 , Calum Macpherson  3 , Muhammad Iqbal Bhaiyat  1 , Jitender P Dubey  4
Affiliations

Toxoplasma gondii clonal type III is the dominant genotype identified in Grenadian pigs

Alfred Chikweto et al. Vet Med Sci. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic protozoan parasite capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals. Although the genotypes of T. gondii in pigs have been reported worldwide, there is no information on the genotypes and diversity of T. gondii in pigs in Grenada, West Indies.

Objectives: The aims of the present study were to isolate, genotype and determine the diversity of T. gondii genotypes in pigs.

Methods: We carried out a modified agglutination test (MAT) on blood from 149 pig hearts collected from a local meat market. Myocardial tissue homogenate from pigs that tested positive for T. gondii was homogenized and inoculated into mice for isolation of the parasite. We collected mouse tissues and extracted DNA for genotyping based on 11 polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism markers (SAG1, SAG2, alt. SAG2, SAG 3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, C22-8, C 29-2 and Apico).

Results: Out of the 149 pig hearts, 31 (20.8%) tested positive for T. gondii on MAT. Bioassays in mice yielded 12 isolates designated TgpgGr1 to TgpgGr12. Molecular characterisation of T. gondii revealed four genotypes as follows: ToxoDB #2-clonal type III (seven isolates); ToxoDB #7 (three isolates); ToxoDB #13 (one isolate); ToxoDB #30 (1 isolate). Overall, ToxoDB #2 was the most common (58%). Toxo database (DB) # 13, which causes interstitial pneumonia in affected mice, has also been reported.

Conclusion: The genetic diversity of T. gondii in pigs in Grenada is lower than that in other surrounding Caribbean areas.

Keywords: Genotyping; Grenada; Toxoplasma gondii; isolation; pigs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Phylogenetic analysis of Toxoplasma gondii isolates in pigs in Grenada, West Indies. The tree was constructed using SplitsTree4 version 4.17. 1 software. Reference strains: GT1; PTG; CTG; MAS; TgCgCa1; TgCtBr5; TgCtBr64; TgRsCr1. Grenada isolates: TgPgGr 1‐ TgPgGr 12
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