First genetic characterization ofToxoplasma gondiiin stray cats from Algeria

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease with worldwide distribution and a major public health problem. In Algeria, no data are currently available about genotypes ofToxoplasma gondiiisolated from animals or humans. The present study assesses for thefirst time the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in stray cats, and provides molecular characterization ofT. gondiistrains circulating in this feline population in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria. Sera from 96 stray cats were tested for the presence of antibodies againstT. gondiiusing the modified agglutination test. The seroprevalence was 50% (48/96) using 1:6 as the positivity cut-off.Different organs samples from straycats, including heart samples, were tested for the presence ofToxoplasma DNA using real-time PCR.T. Gondii DNA was detected in 90.6% (87/96) of hearts. Of these parasitic DNAs, 22 were submitted to genotyping through the analysis of 15 microsatellite markers. The identified genotypes (12 of 22) mainly belonged to the type II lineage.