Abstract
This study evaluated, for the first time, the genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free-range chickens from the state of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil. Tissue samples from 33 chickens from properties in five municipalities of Paraíba (Esperança, Olho d’Água, Malta, Monteiro, and Patos) were bioassayed in mice. The brains of mice infected with T. gondii cysts were used for DNA extraction and genotyping. Genotyping was performed using 11 PCR-RFLP markers and 15 microsatellite (MS) markers. Complete genotyping results were obtained for 29 isolates, with nine genotypes detected by RFLP and 15 genotypes identified by MS. Three genotypes (#273, #274, and #277) have only been recently identified from pigs in the region. Brazilian clonal types BrII and BrIII were identified from one isolate each. Clonal types I, II, and III were not detected by RFLP. Genotype #13 (Caribbean 1), detected in 48.3% (14/29) of isolates from four of the five municipalities investigated, was the most prevalent genotype in the state of Paraíba. However, the MS analysis showed that of these 14 isolates, only four were unique genotypes, and considering the distance between the municipalities from where they were collected, it is possible that only seven are independent isolates while the others are clones. The other genotypes were restricted to different microregions. The results indicate that the Caribbean 1 lineage of T. gondii is circulating widely in Northeast Brazil. The genotypic diversity of T. gondii in the state of Paraíba is high, and microsatellite analysis revealed this diversity with higher resolution than PCR-RFLP.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel-CAPES, Brazil (grant number 1841/2016), and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (grant number 474737/2012-8, H.F.J.P.).
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This experiment was conducted in accordance with the laws in force in Brazil and was approved by the ethics committee of the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), under protocol 01-2012/05-03-2012.
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Feitosa, T.F., Vilela, V.L.R., de Almeida-neto, J.L. et al. First report of typical Brazilian Toxoplasma gondii genotypes from isolates of free-range chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) circulating in the state of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil. Parasitol Res 116, 2265–2270 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5531-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5531-x