Molecular detection and genotypic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii infection in bats in four provinces of China

Si-Yuan Qin,Quan Liu,Ze-Dong Wang,Si-Yang Huang,Nan Li,Xing-Quan Zhu,Wei Cong,Ye Liu,Fu-Kai Zhang

doi:10.1186/preaccept-1950109686141001

Abstract

BackgroundToxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide variety of warm-blooded hosts, including humans. Limited information about T. gondii infection in bats is available in China. The objective of the present study was to determine prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gondii infection in bats in Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, China.MethodsDuring May 2005 to August 2013, bats were sampled from Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces, China, and liver tissues were collected for the detection of T. gondii by a nested PCR targeting the B1 gene. The positive samples were genotyped at 11 genetic markers (SAG1, 5′-and 3′-SAG2, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, c22-8, c29-2, and Apico) using multilocus polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).ResultsA total of 626 bats representing 10 species were examined for T. gondii infection, 38 (6.1%) were tested positive with by PCR, 8 positive DNA samples were completely genotyped, of which 3 samples (2 from Cynopterus sphinx, and 1 from Murina leucogaster) represented ToxoDB#10, and 5 samples (2 from Murina leucogaster, 2 from Myotis chinensis, and 1 from Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) belonged to ToxoDB#9 (http://toxodb.org/toxo/).ConclusionsThe present study revealed an overall T. gondii prevalence of 6.1% in bats from Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces in China, and reported two T. gondii genotypes (ToxoDB#9 and #10) having a wide geographical distribution in China. These results provide new genetic information about T. gondii infection in bats, and have implications for better understanding of the genetic diversity of T. gondii in China and elsewhere.

Highlights

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide variety of warm-blooded hosts, including humans
Of 626 examined bat samples, 38 samples were tested positive for the T. gondii B1 gene by PCR amplification, including 8 of 222 (3.6%) M. leucogaster, 10 of 139 (7.2%) M. chinensis, 2 of 56 (3.6%) M. ricketti, 6 of 43 (14.0%) Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, 1 of 54 (1.9%) Cynopterus sphinx, 3 of 30 (10.0%) Rousettus leschenaultia, 8 of 67 (11.9%) H. larvatus (Table 2)
The results of the present study demonstrated that T. gondii infection in bats was widely distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, with prevalence ranging from 3.7% to 7.3%

Summary

Introduction

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide variety of warm-blooded hosts, including humans. Limited information about T. gondii infection in bats is available in China. The objective of the present study was to determine prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gondii infection in bats in Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, China. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite with a worldwide distribution, which can infect a wide variety of warm blooded animals and humans. Bats play significant roles in the transmission of some important zoonotic diseases, there were only limited reports on T. gondii infection in bats. In China, T. gondii seroprevalence in five bat species in four provinces was detected using modified agglutination test (MAT) [17]. We determined the prevalence and characterized T. gondii isolates in bats in other four provinces of China

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