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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #371398
Research Project: Detection and Control of Foodborne Parasites for Food Safety

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in a free-living giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

Author
item PENA, HILDA FATIMA JE - Universidade De Sao Paulo
item FERRARI, VINICIUS MATHEU - Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
item AIRES, LUIZ PAULO NOGU - Faculty Of Medicine Of São José Do Rio Preto
item SOARES, HERBERT SOUSA - Universidade De Sao Paulo
item OLIVEIRA, SOLANGE - Universidade De Sao Paulo
item ALVES, BRUNA FARIAS - Universidade De Sao Paulo
item GENNARI, SOLANGE MARIA - Universidade De Sao Paulo
item AJZENBERG, DANIEL - Inserm University Of Limoges
item Dubey, Jitender
item DE MATTOS, LUIZ CARLOS - Faculty Of Medicine Of São José Do Rio Preto
item DE MATTOS, CINARA DE CASSI - Faculty Of Medicine Of São José Do Rio Preto
item CASTIGLIONI, LILIAN - Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)

Submitted to: ACTA TROPICA
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/2020
Publication Date: 1/9/2020
Citation: Pena, H.S., Ferrari, V.S., Aires, L.E., Soares, H., Oliveira, S., Alves, B., Gennari, S., Ajzenberg, D., Dubey, J.P., De Mattos, L., De Mattos, C.A., Castiglioni, L. 2020. First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in a free-living giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). ACTA TROPICA. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105335.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105335

Interpretive Summary: Food safety research is of paramount importance for agriculture and the public. Foodborne protozoon infections are a leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States, especially for individuals with weak immune systems such as children and HIV patients. USDA research in this area has borne undeniable results – including helping to cut the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii by as much as 50 percent in the United States. Toxoplasma gondii can infect both humans and many homeothermic animal species including mammals and birds and is quite common in wild animals. The present study investigated for the first time the epidemiology of T. gondii in free-living giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the northwest region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were found in 13 of the 23 serological samples analyzed (56.5%). The parasite was isolated from one of the seven bioassayed M. tridactyla . The isolate was unique genetically and named TgMytrBrSP1. This is first isolate of T. gondii from M. tridactyla; this is relevant to human infection, as the same T. gondii strains can circulate in wild animals and humans. As M. tridactyla forages for food, this species may indicate an environmental contamination by T. gondii, as well as they can be a source of infection to wild felids, contributing to the maintenance of the T. gondii cycle. The results will be of interest to biologists, and parasitologists.

Technical Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii can infect both humans and many homeothermic animal species including mammals and birds and is quite common in wild animals. The present study investigated for the first time the epidemiology of T. gondii in free-living giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the northwest region of São Paulo state, Brazil. A Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) was performed to detect anti-T. gondii antibodies, and tissues were bioassayed in mice to isolate the parasite. The obtained isolate was genotypically characterized using PCR-RFLP and microsatellite (MS) analysis. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were found in 13 of the 23 serological samples analyzed (56.5%). The parasite was isolated from one of the seven bioassayed M. tridactyla and the infected mice presented chronic toxoplasmosis. The isolate was named TgMytrBrSP1. Genotypic PCR-RFLP characterization of the isolate revealed a Brazilian Type BrIII clonal strain (ToxoDB-RFLP #08) and the MS study revealed a unique non-archetypal genotype. To the best of our knowledge, this is first time that T. gondii has been isolated from M. tridactyla; this is relevant to human infection, as the same T. gondii strains can circulate in wild animals and humans. As M. tridactyla forages for food, this species may indicate an environmental contamination by T. gondii, as well as they can be a source of infection to wild felids, contributing to the maintenance of the T. gondii cycle.