The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging chickens (Gallus domesticus) is a good indicator of the prevalence of the parasite's oocysts in soil because chicken feed from the ground. The prevalence of T. gondii in free-range chickens from Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, and Vietnam was determined using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 41 (64%...

Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide prevalent parasite, affecting a wide range of mammals and human beings. Little information is available about the distribution of genetic diversity of T. gondii infection in minks (Neovison vison). This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from minks in China. A total of 418 minks brain tissue samples ...

Most strains of Toxoplasma gondii isolated in North America and Europe are grouped into 3 (Types I, II, III) genotypes and are considered clonal. Recent evidence suggests that illness due to toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent persons may be related to infection with an atypical genotype; these strains are mouse virulent. In the present study, a new mouse-virulent atypical T. gondii genotype was i...

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful protozoan parasites of warm-blooded animals. Stage-specific expression of its surface molecules is thought to be key to its ability to establish chronic infection in immunocompetent animals. The rapidly dividing tachyzoite stage displays a different subset of family of surface antigen 1 (SAG1)-related sequences (SRSs) from that displayed by the en...

This study aimed to isolate and genotype T. gondii from Brazilian wildlife. For this purpose, 226 samples were submitted to mice bioassay and screened by PCR based on 18S rRNA sequences. A total of 15 T. gondii isolates were obtained, including samples from four armadillos (three Dasypus novemcinctus, one Euphractus sexcinctus), three collared anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla), three whited-lip...

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is able to suppress nitric oxide production in activated macrophages. A screen of over 6000 T. gondii insertional mutants identified two clones, which were consistently unable to suppress nitric oxide production from activated macrophages. One strain, called 89B7, grew at the same rate as wild-type parasites in naïve macrophages, but unlike wild type,...

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite with a broad host range of most warm-blooded mammals including humans, of which one-thirds of the human population has been infected worldwide which can cause congenital defects, abortion, and neonatal complications. Here, we developed a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for T. gondii infection. Antigenic N-terminal half of the major surface antigen (SAG1...

The prevalence and genotype of Toxoplasma gondii infection in dogs in Henan Province, Central China was investigated. A total of 125 blood samples were collected from pet dogs during April to June 2013, and all samples were examined by indirect hemagglutination antibody test (IHA) and nested PCR. The overall T. gondii prevalence in pet dogs was 24.0% (30/125), with 20.8% (26/125) in IHA and 10....

Toxoplasma gondii infects up to one third of the world's population. A key to the success of T. gondii as a parasite is its ability to persist for the life of its host as bradyzoites within tissue cysts. The glycosylated cyst wall is the key structural feature that facilitates persistence and oral transmission of this parasite. Because most of the antibodies and reagents that recognize the cyst...

The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in 118 unwanted dogs from São Paulo City, São Paulo State, Brazil, was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test and found in 42 (35.8%) dogs, with titers of 1:20 in 10, 1:40 in 6, 1:80 in 5, 1:160 in 5, 1:320 in 6, 1:640 in 7, and 1:1,280 or higher in 3. Hearts and brains of 36 seropositive dogs were bioassayed in mi...