Comparison of sensitivity of two primer sets for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in wildlife

Aleksandra Kornacka; Aleksandra Cybulska; Bożena Moskwa

doi:10.1515/ap-2018-0072

Article

Comparison of sensitivity of two primer sets for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in wildlife

Aleksandra Kornacka , Aleksandra Cybulska and Bożena Moskwa

Published/Copyright: July 4, 2018

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From the journal Acta Parasitologica Volume 63 Issue 3

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii, a coccidian parasite known to infect almost all warm-blooded animals, is the cause of one of the most common zoonotic parasitic diseases. The aim of the study is to determine whether the 529 bp fragment or the TGR1E gene is more useful target for PCR identification of T. gondii, for common use. The brains of 221 carnivores and omnivores collected between 2013 and 2015 from north-eastern Poland were examined for the presence of this parasite. The DNA was extracted and then amplified using specific primers. Positive results were obtained in 24% of brain samples using the TGR1E target and 19% using the 529 bp sequence. The results demonstrate that both TGR1E and 529 bp repeat element are suitable for detecting T. gondii DNA in wildlife animals, and the combination of two methods is necessary to obtain reliable results.

Keywords: PCR; TGR1E gene; 529 bp sequence; Toxoplasma gondii; carnivores

Authors’ contributions: AK and BM were involved in the design and coordination of the study. AC helped performed laboratory tests. All authors contributed in drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Availability of data and materials: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Ethics approval: The experiment was approved by the Review of Board of Ethics and conducted in accordance with the guidelines establish by Bioethics Appeals Commission (no 72/2013)
Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

Acknowledgements

We thank all forest rangers and hunters for their engagement and contribution in this project.

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Received: 2018-03-13

Revised: 2018-05-18

Accepted: 2018-05-21

Published Online: 2018-07-04

Published in Print: 2018-09-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2018-0072

Keywords for this article

PCR; TGR1E gene; 529 bp sequence; Toxoplasma gondii; carnivores