Infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is characterized by asymptomatic latent infection in the central nervous system and skeletal muscle tissue in the majority of immunocompentent individuals. Life-threatening reactivation of the infection in immunocompromized patients originates from rupture of Toxoplasma cysts in the brain. While major progress has been made in our understa...

A total of 254 humans and 489 domestic animals living on farms in the Lublin province (eastern Poland) were examined for the presence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii using, respectively, the ELFA and direct agglutination tests. In parallel, 182 samples of potable water, mostly from shallow household wells, were taken on farms and examined for the presence of T. gondii by microscopy and ...

Toxoplasmosis, a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, occurs throughout the world. Human T. gondii infection is asymptomatic in 80% of the population; however, the infection is life-threatening and causes substantial neurologic damage in immunocompromised patients such as HIV-infected persons. The major purpose of this study was to investigate the serop...

The prevalence of viable Toxoplasma gondii was determined in 6,282 samples (2,094 each of beef, chicken, and pork) obtained from 698 retail meat stores from 28 major geographic areas of the United States. Each sample consisted of a minimum of 1 kg of meat purchased from the retail meat case. To detect viable T. gondii, meat samples were fed to T. gondii-free cats and feces of cats were examined...

To prevent post-transfusion toxoplasmosis, the sera of blood donors, per six of which were mixed as a pool, were examined for anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibiodies by Dot-immunogold silver staining (Dot-IGSS) with the single serum specimens examined simultaneously. The results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of serum pool method were 92.31% and 99.96% respectively. The consistent rate ...

Using an elevated plus maze apparatus and an activity cage, behavioral changes in Rattus norvegicus concomitantly infected by Toxocara canis and Toxoplasma gondii were studied, during a period of 120 days. Rats infected by Toxocara canis or Toxoplasma gondii showed significant behavioral changes; however, in the group coinfected by both parasites a behavioral pattern similar to that found in th...

Citation: Boughattas S (2015) Commentary on: “Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in raw caprine, ovine, buffalo, bovine, and camel milk using cell cultivation, cat bioassay, capture ELISA, and PCR methods in Iran”. Front. Microbiol. 6:215. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00215 Commentary on: “Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in raw caprine, ovine, buffalo, bovine, and camel milk using cell cultivation, cat b...

Serum samples from 973 ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Canada were examined for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii by the modified agglutination test incorporating mercaptoethanol and formalin-fixed whole tachyzoites. Twenty-eight (2.9%) of the 973 birds were found to be seropositive for antibodies to T. gondii at titers of 1:25 in 15 birds, 1:50 in 12 birds, and 1:500 in 1 bird. This is the first...

Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected at rates of 2%, 6%, 4.17%, 20%, and 19% in 50 bovine brains, 50 bovine muscles, 120 ovine brains, 20 ovine muscles, and in 100 fermented sausage samples, respectively. Sequenced positive samples showed 100% identity with T. gondii RH strain. Seropositivity rates were detected as 24% in cattle and 25% in sheep slaughtered in local slaughterhouses. The detection...

Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent obligate intracellular parasite which chronically infects more than a third of the world's population. Key to parasite prevalence is its ability to form chronic and nonimmunogenic bradyzoite cysts, which typically form in the brain and muscle cells of infected mammals, including humans. While acute clinical infection typically involves neurological and/or ocular...