Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii Strains from Goats in Jahrom District, Southern Iran

Purpose Toxoplasma gondii is transmitted congenitally or acquired by consumption of food and water contaminated with cysts or oocysts. This study aimed at genotyping T. gondii strains from slaughtered goats in Jahrom. Methods A total of 561 specimens (heart, diaphragm, and tongue) from 187 slaughtered goats were collected from Jahrom slaughterhouse. After DNA extraction, the T. gondii strains were genotyped by the nested PCR-RFLP based on GRA6 and 3MODIFIER LETTER PRIME, and 5MODIFIER LETTER PRIME ends of the SAG2 gene. Results T. gondii infection was present in 18.2% of cases. Among the examined organs, the diaphragm was more disposed to the infection (10.2%). Furthermore, infection rates of the heart and tongue were 8.6% and 3.7%, respectively. Concurrent infection in the heart and diaphragm, tongue and diaphragm, and heart and tongue were 3.2%, 0.5%, and 0.5%, respectively. In genotyping experiments, genotype I was the most frequent genotype of T. gondii (58.8%), followed by type II (23.5%), type III (11.8%), and a combination of type I and II (5.9%). Conclusions The results of this study showed the presence of different genotypes of T. gondii in goats including three major and mixed genotypes. These results can be useful in toxoplasmosis control and prevention.

Automated summary

This study aimed to genotype Toxoplasma gondii strains from slaughtered goats in Jahrom, showing the presence of different genotypes including three major and mixed genotypes. The diaphragm was found to be the most disposed organ to infection, with type I being the most frequent genotype. These results can be useful for the control and prevention of toxoplasmosis.