Kamlang Chumpolbanchorn. Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from free-range chickens in Thailand. Doctoral Degree(Tropical Medicine ). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2009.
Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from free-range chickens in Thailand
Abstract:
Toxoplasma gondii infection in free-range (FR) chicken (Gallus domesticus) is a
potential public health risk. Since chickens are resistant to clinical toxoplasmosis, humans may
become infected with this parasite after eating undercooked infected chicken meat. There have been
no reports of confirmed T. gondii infection in Thai chickens. The objectives of this present study are
to explore prevalence of the infection and genotype of T. gondii from FR chickens in Thailand.
Antibodies for T. gondii were found in 194 out of 303 serum samples (64.03 %) tested by the indirect
fluorescent antibody test (IFAT, 1:16). To verify the validity of serologic data in this survey, sera
from chickens experimentally infected with the RH strain of T. gondii were tested by the IFAT over a
12-week period. Antibodies against T. gondii were detected as early as 7 days post inoculation,
peaked at 2 weeks, and then declined for the remaining 10 weeks post inoculation.
No viable T. gondii was successfully isolated from tissues of seropositive chickens
(n=15). However, T. gondii DNA was detected in 2 out of 40 chickens. The positive samples were
found in the spleen and brain of the chickens with IFAT titer of 1:16 and <1:16, respectively. Both of
them were B1 genes nested-PCR positive. Even though SAG1 and SAG2 genes were also used as
genetic markers, neither of them gave positive results. Based on the phylogenetic tree, T. gondii
found in FR chickens in Thailand (Ck5NjTh2009 and Ck7NjTh2009) were approximately 99.7% and
100% similar to the RH strain (genotype I), respectively.
The high seroprevalence of T. gondii in this study stresses the need to raise chickens in a
biosecure environment for food safety purposes since chicken meat and offal are involved in the
human food chain.