Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is obligate coccidian zoonotic parasite. Felidae family is definitive and wide ranges of warm-blooded vertebrates are intermediate hosts for the parasite. Rodents are measured as an important source of T. gondii infection for the definitive host. Thus, this study aimed to investigate Toxoplasm infection in rodents of Ahvaz district, southwest of Iran. A total of 100 rodents (73 Rattus norvegicus, 21 Rattus rattus, and 6 Mus musculus) were collected and studied by GRA6PCR and mouse bioassay. The finding indicated that 6 out of 100 (6%) and 2 out of 100 (2%) samples were positive by PCR and mouse bioassay, respectively. The results show notable chronic infection in the rodent and potential transmission of the infection among animal and men in the region. Accordingly, this study recommended investigating of the T. gondii infection in definitive and other intermediate hosts in other points of Khuzestan province, Southwest, Iran.
Highlights
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular and obligate coccidian zoonotic parasite
Muscle, and liver tissues of 100 wild and domestic rodents were analyzed by GRA6PCR method
Of the 4 infected Rattus norvegicus isolates, 3 were collected from urban points and one was from rural region, whereas both of the infected Rattus rattus ones were collected from urban sit
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular and obligate coccidian zoonotic parasite. The definitive hosts of the parasite are members of the Felidae family (mainly domestic cats) and the intermediate hosts are warm-blooded vertebrates including humans, rodents, birds, livestock, and marine mammals [1].Felids with excreting of the environmentally resistant oocysts are the most important hosts in the life cycle of T. gondii. Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular and obligate coccidian zoonotic parasite. The definitive hosts of the parasite are members of the Felidae family (mainly domestic cats) and the intermediate hosts are warm-blooded vertebrates including humans, rodents, birds, livestock, and marine mammals [1]. Felids with excreting of the environmentally resistant oocysts are the most important hosts in the life cycle of T. gondii. Cats become infected with T. gondii by eating infected tissues from intermediate hosts. While foraging on the ground, rodents can get infected by Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis is one of the opportunistic infections which in people with immunocompetent is largely asymptomatic, but in immunocompromised individuals, the parasite can become widely disseminated, causing severe toxoplasmosis [2,3,4]. In Iran, toxoplasmosis continues to be a public health problem, and a seroprevalence of 41.4% has been reported in central part of the country [5]
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