U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Dubey, Jitenderitem
                                            LOPEZ, B - GUATEMALAitem
                                            ALVAREZ, M - GUATEMALAitem
                                            MENDOZA, C - GUATEMALAitem
                                            LEHMANN, T - GEORGIA
  Submitted to: Journal of Parasitology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 11/17/2004
                                    Publication  Date: 10/10/2005
                                    Citation: Dubey, J.P., Lopez, B., Alvarez, M., Mendoza, C., Lehmann, T. 2005. Isolation, tissue distribution, and molecular characterization of toxoplasma gondii from free-range chickens from guatemala. Journal of Parasitology 91:955-957.Interpretive Summary: Infection by the single-celled parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, is common in man and animals.  Humans become infected by eating undercooked infected meat or ingesting the resistant stage of toxoplasma (oocysts) in the environment.  Infections in free range-range chickens is indicative of toxoplasma infection in the environment because chickens feed from the ground.  Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, report isolation and molecular characterization of Toxoplasma gondii strains from free-range chickens from Guatemala.  These results will be of interest to public health workers, parasitologists and veterinarians.
                                Technical Abstract: The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging chickens is a good indicator of the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in the soil because chickens feed from the ground. The prevalence of T. gondii in 50 free-range chickens (Gallus domesticus) from Guatemala was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies were found in  37 (74%) chickens  with titers of 1:5 in 11, 1: 10 in 7, 1:20 in 11, 1: 40 in 1, 1: 80 in 1, 1: 160 in 3, 1: 1,280 in 2,  and 1: 2,560 in 1. Hearts, pectoral muscles, and brains of 19 chickens with MAT titers of 1:20 or more were bioassayed individually in mice.  Tissues from the remaining 31 chickens with titers of 1:10 or lower were pooled and fed to 4 T. gondii-free cats (13 chickens with titers of less than 1:5 to 1 cat, 11 chickens with titers of 1:5 to 2 cats, and 7 chickens with titers of 1:10 to 1 cat). Feces of cats were examined for oocystsor more (from 1 of 11 chickens with a titer of 1:20 and all 7 chickens with a titer of 1:80 or more). It was isolated from the heart, brain and pectoral muscle of 3, heart and pectoral muscle of 1, and from the heart alone of 4.  Genotyping of these 8 isolates using the SAG2 locus indicated that 5 were Type III and 3 were Type I. This is the first report of isolation of T. gondii from chickens from Guatemala.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov