Publication details
Prevalence Toxoplasma gondii u pernaté zvěře určené k lidské spotřebě v České republice: molekulární detekce pomocí qPCR.
| Title in English | Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in game intended for human consumption in the Czech Republic: molecular detection using qPCR |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Toxoplasma gondii (Apicomplexa strain), the single cell protozoan, is an obligatory intracellular parasite, causing diseases of humans and animals called toxoplasmosis. The definitive hosts are exclusively felines, with almost all kinds of warm-blooded animals being intermediate host. The main source of infection for the host, including humans, is mainly raw or undercooked meat containing T. gondii tissue cysts or foods contaminated by oocysts from infected faeces of definitive host. It is estimated that approximately one billion people are infected with T. gondii, and toxoplasmosis is one of the most widespread parasitic zoonoses in the world. The introduction of an appropriate diagnostic method is therefore essential to prevent, monitor and control the spread of T. gondii infection. The aim of this study was to find out the occurrence of T. gondii in game birds (Anas platyrhynchos and Phasianus colchicus) caught in the Czech Republic between years 2015 and 2016. In order to reliably detect and quantitate tissue cysts, qPCR analysis was optimized, based on amplification of the specific gene B1 and the 529rep element. Of the 630 examined birds, T. gondii was detected in 15 samples from 280 of wild ducks tested (prevalence of 5.4%) and 12 samples from 350 pheasants (prevalence 3.4%). In both game species, parasitic DNA was most commonly detected in the heart and brain. Our results showed the presence of T. gondii in wild ducks and pheasants in the Czech Republic. These representatives can therefore be considered as potential reservoir of T. gondii infection and hence a possible source of infection for other animals and especially for humans. |
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