Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in Ruminants Aborted Fetuses in Northern Iran Using Molecular and Bioassay Techniques

Kaveh Azimi; Afsaneh Amouei; Mehdi Sharif; Shahabeddin Sarvi; Nemat Shams; Azadeh Mizani; Seyed Abdollah Hosseini; Saeid Salehi; Mohhamad Reza Safari-Kharyeki; Tooran Nayeri Chegeni; Zahra Hosseininejad; Ahmad Daryani

doi:10.18502/ijpa.v16i2.6273

Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in Ruminants Aborted Fetuses in Northern Iran Using Molecular and Bioassay Techniques

Iran J Parasitol. 2021 Apr-Jun;16(2):229-235. doi: 10.18502/ijpa.v16i2.6273.

Authors

Kaveh Azimi^{1

2

3}, Afsaneh Amouei^{1

3}, Mehdi Sharif^{1

3}, Shahabeddin Sarvi^{1

3}, Nemat Shams⁴, Azadeh Mizani^{1

3}, Seyed Abdollah Hosseini^{1

2

3}, Saeid Salehi⁵, Mohhamad Reza Safari-Kharyeki⁶, Tooran Nayeri Chegeni^{1

2

3}, Zahra Hosseininejad^{1

2

3}, Ahmad Daryani^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
² Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
³ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁴ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.
⁵ Mazandaran Provincial Veterinary Department, Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁶ Mahdasht Dairy and Meat Company, Panbe Choleh, Sari, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a wide range of warm-blooded species. This study aimed to obtain further information on the role of T. gondii infection in ruminant abortion (sheep, goats and cattle) using bioassay and PCR methods in Mazandaran province, northern Iran.

Methods: Overall, 104 aborted fetuses (52 bovine, 48 ovine, 4 caprine) were collected at different stages of gestation during the lambing seasons in various parts of Mazandaran Province from Mar 2016 to May 2017. Brains of 104 aborted fetuses were bioassayed in female BALB/c mice. DNA was extracted from all brain samples using phenol-chloroform-isoamyl Alcohol instructions. RE gene was used for detection all of T. gondii DNA by conventional PCR assay.

Results: The results of the bioassayed samples were negative because no tachyzoites or cyst were observed in the peritoneal and brain specimens of the mice. The detection of T. gondii DNA was confirmed by observation of a 529 bp band in 15 out of 104 fetuses (14.4%). The highest prevalence rate of T. gondii detected from sheep (16.6%) followed by cattle (13.4%) and goats (0%). The highest prevalence of the infection was observed in east area, while the lowest prevalence of the infection was observed in west area.

Conclusion: T. gondii infection may partly be responsible for abortion and economic losses in livestock husbandry in this region. Therefore, further additional researches such as genotyping T. gondii and designing control strategies for improving management in livestock flocks are necessary.

Keywords: Aborted fetuses; Cattle; Goats; Iran; Sheep; Toxoplasma gondii.