Animal Parasitic Diseases Site Logo
ARS Home About Us Helptop nav spacerContact Us En Espanoltop nav spacer
Printable VersionPrintable Version     E-mail this pageE-mail this page
Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
Search
  Advanced Search
 
Programs and Projects
Subjects of Investigation
 

Research Project: INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE DETECTION AND CONTROL OF FOODBORNE PARASITES AND THE IMPACT ON FOOD SAFETY

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases

Title: Serological survey and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii in domestic ducks and geese in Lower Saxony, Germany

Authors
item Maksimov, P -
item Buschtons, S -
item Herrmann, D -
item Conraths, F -
item Gorlich, K -
item Tenter, A -
item Dubey, Jitender
item Nagel-Kohl, U -
item Thoms, B -
item Botcher, L -
item Kuhne, M -
item Schares, G -

Submitted to: Veterinary Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 1, 2011
Publication Date: December 1, 2011
Citation: Maksimov, P., Buschtons, S., Herrmann, D.C., Conraths, F.J., Gorlich, K., Tenter, A.M., Dubey, J.P., Nagel-Kohl, U., Thoms, B., Botcher, L., Kuhne, M., Schares, G. 2011. Serological survey and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii in domestic ducks and geese in Lower Saxony, Germany. Veterinary Parasitology. 182:140-149.

Interpretive Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite of all warm-blooded hosts worldwide. It causes mental retardation and loss of vision in children, and abortion in livestock. Cats are the main reservoir of T. gondii because they are the only hosts that can excrete the resistant stage (oocyst) of the parasite in the feces. Humans become infected by eating undercooked meat from infected animals and food and water contaminated with oocysts. In the present study, scientists report prevalence of Toxoplasma in ducks and geese in Germany and report new methods for diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in these hosts.The results will be of interest to biologists, parasitologists, and public health workers.

Technical Abstract: To obtain estimates for the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in ducks and geese in Germany, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were established based on affinity-purified T. gondii tachyzoite surface antigen 1 (TgSAG1) and used to examine duck and goose sera for T. gondii -specific antibodies. The results of 186 sera from 60 non-infected ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and 101 sera from 36 non-infected geese (Anser anser) as well as 72 sera from 11 ducks and 89 sera from 12 geese inoculated experimentally with T. gondii tachyzoites (intravenously) or oocysts (orally), were used to select a cut-off value for the TgSAG1-ELISA. Sera obtained by serial bleeding of experimentally inoculated ducks and geese were tested to analyze the time course of anti-TgSAG1 antibodies after inoculation and to assess the sensitivity of the assays in comparison with a T. gondii immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). In ducks, IFAT titres and ELISA indices peaked 2 and 5 weeks p.i with tachyzoites, respectively. By contrast, only three of six geese inoculated with tachyzoites at the same time as the ducks elicited a low and non-permanent antibody response as detected by the IFAT. In the TgSAG1-ELISA, only a slight increase of the ELISA indices was observed in four of six tachyzoite-inoculated geese. By contrast, inoculation of ducks and geese with oocysts led to a fast increase in anti-TgSAG1 antibodies, which were still detectable at the end of the observation period, i.e., 11 weeks p.i. Inoculation of three ducks and three geese with oocysts of Hammondia hammondi, a protozoon closely related to T. gondii, resulted in a transient seroconversion in ducks and geese as measured by IFAT or TgSAG1-ELISA. Using the newly established TgSAG1-ELISA, sera from naturally-exposed ducks and geese sampled in the course of a monitoring program for avian influenza were examined for antibodies to T. gondii; 145/2534 (5.7%) of the ducks and 94/373 (25.2%) of the geese had antibodies against TgSAG1. Seropositive animals were detected on 20 of of 61 duck and in 11 of 13 goose farms; the seroprevalences within positive submissions of single farms ranged from 2.2% to 78.6%. Farms keeping ducks or geese exclusively indoors had a significantly lower risk (odds ratio 0.05, 95% confidence interval 0.01-0.3) of harboring serologically positive animals as compared with farms where the animals had access to an enclosure outside the barn.

   

 
Project Team
Hill, Dolores
Dubey, Jitender
Zarlenga, Dante
Urban, Joseph
 
Publications
   Publications
 
Related National Programs
  Food Safety, (animal and plant products) (108)
 
Related Projects
   TOWARDS A VACCINE TO PREVENT TOXOPLASMOSIS
   INFECTIVITY AND TRANSMISSION OF TOXOPLASMOSIS
   MOLECULAR BASIS OF TOXOPLASMOSIS
   ASSESSMENT OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN GOAT’S MEAT, MILK, AND CHEESE ROLE IN TRANSMISSION OF TOXOPLASMOSIS TO HUMANS
   ANALYST TRAINING AND CHECK SAMPLE PROGRAM FOR PORK AND HORSEMEAT EXPORT PROGRAM
   PERIODIC NATIONAL COMMODITY STUDIES TO INVESTIGATE CURRENT ISSUES AND EXAMINE GENERAL HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES USED ON FARMS
   TOXOPLASMA GONDII OOCYSTS IN AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS: TRANSPORT FROM LAND TO SEA
   ASSESSING PREDOMINANT TRANSMISSION ROUTES FOR TOXOPLASMA GONDII USING NHANES 2007-2010
   CHARACTERIZATION OF...MOLECULES FROM ES PRODUCTS OF TRICHINELIA SPIRALIS/T. PSEUDOSPIRALIS L1 & THEIR USE IN IMMUNODIAGNOSIS
   IDENTIFICATION FOR TOXOPLASMA TRANSMISSION IN PASTURE RAISED ANIMALS SUBAWARD NO. Z551401
   NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH MONITORING SURVEY FOR TOXOPLASMA GONDII AND TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS
 
 
Last Modified: 05/19/2013
ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links 
FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Nondiscrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | White House