Abundance Detection and Molecular Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii by SAG1 Gene in Rodents and Cattle of Golestan Province, Northeast of Iran

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasma parasite is from Toxoplasmatidea family that initially was seen in ctinodactylus gondii rodent. Toxoplasma parasites that extracted from different rodents are same in immunologic and morphologic characteristics but have differences in pathogenicity and genotypes in mice. The rodents and cattle are most reservoir hosts in environment that by attention of human environment vicinity to cattle and rodent’s environment causes Toxoplasma dispersion in that area. The aim of this study was Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in rodents and cattle of Golestan province, northeast of Iran. Materials and methods: In this study we collected 285 mice and 185 cattle tissues from Golestan forest and extracted brains of rodents and hearts tissues of cattle to obtain DNA from these tissues. We divided these rodents to 4 groups and then detected the positive samples by PCR method. Results: In this study we found 68 samples of these rodents were positive for SAG1 gene. 38 samples were Ratus ratus, 10 samples were Ratus norvegicus, 10 samples were Mus musculus and 10 samples were Rombumys opimus. Also 81 samples of cattle hearts were positive for SAG1 gene. Conclusion and discussion: in this study we found that the different types of rodents were responsible to spread of toxoplasmosis, also SAG1 gene was very useful marker to detect toxoplasmosis in rodents of northeast area of Iran. Also in this area the numbers of toxoplasmosis cattle were in very high range.