Detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA by qPCR in the feces of a cat that recently ingested infected prey does not necessarily imply oocyst shedding.
Fiche publication
Date publication
janvier 2016
Journal
Parasite (Paris, France)
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr VILLENA Isabelle
Tous les auteurs :
Poulle ML, Forin-Wiart MA, Josse-Dupuis É, Villena I, Aubert D
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in cat feces is considered indicative of the presence of T. gondii oocysts. This study aims to demonstrate that the high sensitivity of qPCR can lead to T. gondii DNA detection in cat feces in the absence of oocysts. A cat immune to toxoplasmosis was fed with a mouse experimentally infected with T. gondii. Detection of DNA of this parasite was performed by qPCR on feces passed: (i) on the day the cat ingested the infected prey; (ii) during the three previous days; and (iii) during the three following days. The kinetics of qPCR results are clearly not linked to oocyst shedding and this result demonstrates that qPCR can detect T. gondii DNA related to bradyzoites from an infected prey, in the absence of oocysts. Caution is thus recommended when interpreting T. gondii qPCR results for samples of cat feces.
Mots clés
Animals, Cat Diseases, diagnosis, Cats, DNA, Protozoan, isolation & purification, Feces, parasitology, Food Parasitology, Mice, parasitology, Oocysts, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Toxoplasma, genetics, Toxoplasmosis, Animal, diagnosis
Référence
Parasite. 2016 ;23:29