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. 2023 Dec 9:5:100163.
doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100163. eCollection 2024.

Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in goats and sheep from the Northeast Region of Brazil destined for human consumption

Thais Ferreira Feitosa  1 , Vinícius Longo Ribeiro Vilela  1   2 , Samira Pereira Batista  2 , Samara Santos Silva  3 , Rinaldo Aparecido Mota  3 , Frank Katzer  4 , Paul M Bartley  4
Affiliations

Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in goats and sheep from the Northeast Region of Brazil destined for human consumption

Thais Ferreira Feitosa et al. Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. .

Abstract

This study aimed to genotype isolates of Toxoplasma gondii obtained from samples of brain, diaphragm and heart of goats and sheep intended for human consumption in the State of Paraíba, Brazil. Tissue samples from 14 animals, goats (n = 5) and lambs (n = 9), were sourced from public slaughterhouses in seven cities and bio-assayed in mice. The brains of the mice were utilized for DNA extraction. Genotyping was carried out by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using 10 markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, c22-8, PK1, GRA6, L358, c-29-2 and Apico). A total of 10 isolates were fully genotyped (i.e. at all loci), three from goats and seven from sheep, revealing five distinct genotypes: #13 (n = 4); #48 (n = 3); #57 (n = 1); #273 (n = 1); and one new genotype that had not been previously described. Genotype #13 is frequently found in the Northeast of Brazil and represents a clonal lineage circulating in this region and was the most prevalent genotype identified (n = 4). Moreover, in the present study genotypes #13, #48, #57, and #273 were documented for the first time in sheep from Brazil, and the novel genotype was isolated from a goat. Our findings align with previous studies on T. gondii from Brazil, where new genotypes are continuously being identified, highlighting a high level of genetic diversity of T. gondii isolates in the country.

Keywords: Food-borne pathogens; Genotyping; Goats; PCR-RFLP; Sheep; Toxoplasma gondii.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Given their role as Co-Editor, Frank Katzer had no involvement in the peer review of this article and has no access to information regarding its peer review. Full responsibility for the editorial process for this article was delegated to Professor Aneta Kostadinova (Editor-in-Chief).

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map showing the municipalities in the Paraíba State, Northeast Region of Brazil, from which goat and sheep samples were collected, along with their respective identified genotypes.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Phylogenetic network analysis of Toxoplasma gondii in goats and sheep from the Northeast Region of Brazil destined for human consumption, using PCR-RFLP data. Genotype ID and representative strain with TOXODB number in parentheses are listed for each taxonomic branch. Reference strains are represented in black, the strains from this study are indicated in blue, and strains previously described in the region but not covered in this paper are enclosed in boxes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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