Ovine and Caprine Toxoplasmosis: Experimental Study
Shawkat Q. Lafi1*, Nektarios D.
Giadinis2, Elias Papadopoulos3, George
Filioussis4 and Asimakis Koutsoumpas5
1Department
of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid,
Jordan; 2Clinic of Farm Animals, 3Laboratory
of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, 4Laboratory of
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine,
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; 5Private
Veterinarian, Lidoriki Fokidas, Greece *Corresponding author:
shqalafi@just.edu.jo
Abstract
Eighteen mature ewes of the Mytilene breed and 18
mature Local- Damascus crossbred goats, seronegative for Toxoplasma gondii
(T. gondii) by ELISA were used. All animals were mated after synchronization
of estrus. On day 90 of pregnancy, animals were randomly assigned to 3
experimental groups; 6 ewes (S1) and 6 goats (G1) were orally inoculated by
stomach tube with 1000 oocysts; 6 ewes (S2) and 6 goats (G2) were orally
inoculated with a non-infected control inoculum. On day 140+2 of
pregnancy, the remaining 6 ewes (S3) and 6 goats (G3) were inoculated by stomach
tube with 3000 oocysts. Positive T. godii DNA was detected in 94% of
fetal and maternal blood, 95% fetal tissue, 89% pre-colostral udder secretions
and 12.5% milk samples using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Infected animals
and their live newborns was seropositive (ELISA) until the end of the study. PCR
was able to detect T. gondii DNA in maternal blood of infected animals
3-5 days before abortion occurred. This time period may be used to implement
preventive and therapeutic measure to reduce abortion rate and associated
economic losses.Since milk and milk products are
important food sources in rural areas and in many cases it is used unpasteurized
before consumption. The T. gondii DNA, detected by PCR in milk samples of
infected animals, increases the possibility that the parasite is transmitted
through consumption of unpasteurized milk which is a highly relevant result for
public health considerations and providing valuable information for future
research.