IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Dubey, J.P.; Alvarado-Esquivel, C.; Herrera-Valenzuela, V.H.; Ortiz-Diaz, J.J.; Oliveira, S.; Verma, S.K.; Choudhary, S.; Kwok, O.C.H.; Su, C. | |
| A new atypical genotype mouse virulent strain of Toxoplasma gondii isolated from the heart of a wild caught puma (_Felis concolor_) from Durango, Mexico | |
| 2013 Veterinary Parasitology (197): 674-677 | |
Nothing is known of the genetic diversity of _Toxoplasma gondii_ circulating in wildlife in Mexico. In the present study, a mouse virulent _T. gondii_ strain was isolated from the heart of a wild puma (_Felis concolor_). The puma was found roaming in outskirt of Durango City, Mexico and tranquilized for moving to a zoo. The puma died during translocation and a necropsy examination was performed. The puma had an antibody titer for _T. gondii_ of 200 by the modified agglutination test. Its heart and brain tissue were bioassayed into 2 outbred Swiss Webster (SW) and 1 gamma interferon gene knockout (KO) mouse. The KO mouse and the 2 SW mice that became infected after inoculation with homogenate of puma heart died of acute toxoplasmosis 12, 19 and 20 days p.i. respectively and tachyzoites were found in lungs of all 3 mice. None of the 4 SW and 1 KO mouse inoculated with digest of the puma brain became infected with _T. gondii._ Tachyzoites from the lungs of mice were propagated in cell cultures. Tachyzoites from cell culture were inoculated into 5 SW; the mice died or had to be killed 14 days p.i. and a cat fed tissues of these mice shed _T. gondii oocysts_. Results of mortality and infectivity of tachyzoites and oocysts in SW mice indicated that the puma T. gondii strain (designated TgPumaMe1) was virulent for outbred mice. DNA isolated from culture-derived tachyzoites was characterized using 11 PCR-RFLP markers (SAG1, 5- and 3-SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1 and Apico) revealed a new genotype (ToxoDB PCR-RFLP #222). Isolation of atypical genotype _T. gondii _from wild puma indicates that mouse virulent strains are circulating in wildlife in Mexico. |
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