Toxoplasma gondii infections in chickens - performance of various antibody detection techniques in serum and meat juice relative to bioassay and DNA detection methods

International Journal for Parasitology
G ScharesJ Van der Giessen

Abstract

Chickens, especially if free-range, are frequently exposed to Toxoplasma gondii, and may represent an important reservoir for T. gondii. Poultry products may pose a risk to humans, when consumed undercooked. In addition, chickens are regarded as sensitive indicators for environmental contamination with T. gondii oocysts and have been used as sentinels. The aim of the present study was to determine the suitability of commonly used antibody detection methods, i.e. the modified agglutination test (MAT), IFAT and ELISA to detect T. gondii-infected chickens. Samples of experimentally and naturally infected chickens were used. The infection state of all chickens was determined by Magnetic-Capture (MC-) real-time PCR (RT PCR). Naturally exposed chickens were additionally examined by mouse bioassay and conventional RT PCR on acidic pepsin digests (PD-RT PCR). Blood serum and meat juice of various sources were tested for antibodies to T. gondii. In naturally infected chickens, there was substantial agreement between the mouse bioassay and MC-RT PCR or the mouse bioassay and conventional PD-RT PCR. PD-RT PCR was slightly more sensitive than MC-RT PCR, as all (26/26) bioassay-positive chickens also tested positive in at least one of the t...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 26, 2019·Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases·Amedine SarrAurélien Mercier
Aug 2, 2020·Parasites & Vectors·Benedikt T FabianGereon Schares
Aug 29, 2020·Acta Parasitologica·Rashmi ThakurBalbir B Singh
Jun 25, 2020·Food and Waterborne Parasitology·Jacqueline PlazaClare M Hamilton

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