| Title |
Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence and genotype diversity in select wildlife species from the southeastern United States
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Parasites & Vectors, October 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1186/s13071-017-2456-2 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Richard W. Gerhold, Pooja Saraf, Alycia Chapman, Xuan Zou, Graham Hickling, William H. Stiver, Allan Houston, Marcy Souza, Chunlei Su |
| Abstract |
Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread protozoan parasite that infects humans and other animals. Previous studies indicate some genotypes of T. gondii are more frequently isolated in wildlife than agricultural animals, suggesting a wild/feral animal diversity model. To determine seroprevalence and genetic diversity of T. gondii in southeastern US wildlife, we collected sera from 471 wild animals, including 453 mammals and 18 birds, between 2011 and 2014. These serum samples were assayed for T. gondii infection using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Heart or tongue tissues from 66 seropositive animals were bioassayed in mice and 19 isolates were obtained. The isolated parasites were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method employing 10 genetic markers. One hundred and ninety-six of 471 samples (41.6%) had a titer ≥1:32 and were considered positive for T. gondii infection. Of 453 mammals, 195 (43%) were seropositive, whereas only one (5.6%) of 18 birds was seropositive. The seroprevalence in mammals was significantly higher than in the birds. Mammalian hosts with adequate samples size (≥ 20) comprised white-tailed deer (n = 241), feral hogs (n = 100), raccoons (n = 34) and coyotes (n = 22), with seroprevalences of 41.0%, 51.0%, 50.0% and 72.7%, respectively. Coyotes had significantly higher seroprevalence than the white-tailed deer. Genotyping revealed five distinct genotypes, including the ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype #5 (a.k.a type 12) for 15 isolates, genotype #3 (a.k.a. type II) for 1 isolate, and genotypes #154, #167 and #216, each for 1 isolate. The results showed moderate to high infection rates of T. gondii in white-tailed deer, feral hogs, raccoons and coyotes. Genotyping results indicated limited genetic diversity and a dominance of genotype #5, which has been reported as a major type in wildlife in North America. We conclude that T. gondii infection is common in game animals (white-tailed deer and feral hogs) in the southeastern US, which may pose a food safety risk to humans. Further research is necessary to understand T. gondii transmission from wildlife to farm animals and humans. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 6 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 33% |
| Unknown | 4 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 3 | 50% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 33% |
| Scientists | 1 | 17% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 71 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 71 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 11 | 15% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 8 | 11% |
| Researcher | 7 | 10% |
| Student > Bachelor | 7 | 10% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 7% |
| Other | 12 | 17% |
| Unknown | 21 | 30% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 17 | 24% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 12 | 17% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 7% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 6% |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 4% |
| Other | 6 | 8% |
| Unknown | 24 | 34% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 04 July 2018.
All research outputs
#13,057,517
of 23,006,268 outputs
Outputs from Parasites & Vectors
#2,212
of 5,502 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#154,692
of 327,882 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Parasites & Vectors
#64
of 164 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,006,268 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 42nd percentile – i.e., 42% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 164 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 59% of its contemporaries.