Detection and quantification of Toxoplasma gondu in ovine maternal and foetal tissues from experimentally infected pregnant ewes using real-time PCR

作者：Gutierrez J^*; O'Donovan J; Williams E; Proctor A; Brady C; Marques P X; Worrall S; Nally J E; McElroy M; Bassett H; Sammin D; Buxton D; Maley S; Markey B K

来源：Veterinary Parasitology, 2010, 172(1-2): 8-15.

DOI：10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.04.035

• Toxoplasma gondu
• Ovine abortion
• Real-time PCR

A real-time PCR (rt-PCR) targeting the 529-bp repeat element (RE) of Toxoplasma gondu was used to detect and quantify the parasite burden in maternal and foetal tissues in 18 seronegative ewes infected with 3000 toxoplasma oocysts on day 90 of pregnancy The infected ewes were sacrificed in groups of 4-6 at 21 25 33 and 35 days post-challenge Ten sham Inoculated pregnant ewes were used as controls T gondu was not detected in the control ewes or their foeti The parasite was only detected in the maternal tissues in a few of the challenged ewes on a small number of occasions where It was identified in spleen and uterine lymph nodes T gondu was detected in the foetal spleen and liver at the early sacrifice times but only sporadically thereafter In the case of amniotic allantoic and foetal aqueous humor samples T gondu was only detected on a small number of occasions However it was found in the majority of the foetal lung and placentome samples throughout the study period while placentomes and foetal brains contained high levels of the parasite during the later stages Histopathological examination of placentome and brain tissue from the foeti in the present study revealed a strong correlation between histopathological lesions and quantities of the parasite DNA detected These results ind

• 出版日期2010-8-27