Molecular Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in goats Placenta in Northeastern Algeria

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a parasitic zoonosis of crucial medical and veterinary importance. It is diagnosed mainly by serological methods, which are insufficiently sensitive. It is therefore necessary to rely on the direct detection of the parasite. The present study aimed at the direct detection of T. gondii DNA in placenta fragments by PCR targeting the B1 gene of the parasite. In addition, we identified possible risk factors for infection. The study was carried out on 25 goat farms between 2019 and 2020 in four regions of the Tebessa province in northeastern Algeria and involved 503 goats that had aborted. T. gondii DNA was detected in 30.41% of goat placenta samples (CI: [27.12-41.53]). The on-farm molecular prevalence was 60% (CI: [53.32-72.53]). The molecular prevalence of toxoplasmosis was higher for primiparous females (53.2%) than it was for multiparous ones (15.2%) (p = 0.0001). Likewise, the level of contamination was high in farms with a sedentary management system (36.4%); this system tended to increase the prevalence of toxoplasmosis (P = 0.008). In addition, it appears that the stage of gestation, history of abortion, and season had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the prevalence of the disease. To conclude, this study revealed that goats included in this experiment were heavily infected with T. gondii, which represents a major risk for consumers in the Tebessa region. Further research is needed to improve our knowledge of the different genotypes of T. gondii infecting populations of small ruminants.