Toxoplasma gondii infection in sentinel and free range chickens from Argentina

MORÉ, G.; MAKSIMOV P.; PARDINI L.; BACIGALUPE, D.; MAKSIMOV, A.; BASSO, W.; HERRMANN, D.; SCHARES G.; VENTURINI M.C.

Ascochinga, Cordoba

Congreso; XXIV Reunión Científica Anual Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología; 2010

Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología

Toxoplasma gondii infections are worldwide distributed and could affect mammals and poultry.  Identification of T. gondii genotypes has been related with virulence in mice model and is considered useful to detect different sources of human infections. The aim of the present study is identified the presence and genotypes of T. gondii infections in free range and sentinels chickens from Argentina. The UNLP donated a total of 130 day-old chicks and feed to feed them to 5 farmers from Las Flores (Farms A, C, N, P and T) and one of La Plata (Farm M). After 74 days 114 of sentinel chickens were bled and also 32 adult free range chickens from farms A, C, N and P. The samples were processed by Immunoblot and IFAT. Eight sentinel chickens from Las Flores and 18 adult chickens tested positive, the 22 samples from La Plata result negatives. The eight sentinel and 7 of the free range serologically positive chickens (3 from farm C, 2 from farm N and 2 from farm P) were sacrificed and samples from brain, heart and blood were taken. Tissue samples were homogenized, digested and inoculated into immunosuppressed Swiss mice in Argentina and gamma interferon Knock-out mice in Germany. Toxoplasma gondii no was isolated from sentinel animals, but was isolated from 6 of 7 free range chickens. The isolates were passed to cell culture and DNA extraction was performed from cell culture derived tachyzoites. Specific PCR using TOX5 and TOX8 primers determine that all the isolations correspond with T. gondii.  Genotyping using the markers nSAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, L358, PK1and c29-2 shows that 2 of the isolates were genotype II (both from farm P); the 3 chickens from farm C were “atypical” resulting type III for all the markers except for c22-8 (type I) and 1 isolate from farm N was also type III for all the markers except for c22-8 (type II). This study shows the high rate of T. gondii natural infection in free range chickens from Argentina that involves several genotypes in a close area.