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
                                            SU, C - COSTA RICAitem
                                            DE IKUVERUA, JAQUELINE - COSTA RICAitem
                                            MORALES, JUAN - COSTA RICAitem
                                            BOLANOS, RAFAEL - COSTA RICAitem
                                            SUNDAR, N - USDA ARS ANRI APDLitem
                                            Kwok, Oliveritem
                                            Shen, Samuel
  Submitted to: Veterinary Parasitology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 2/4/2006
                                    Publication  Date: 6/6/2006
                                    Citation: Dubey, J.P., Su, C., De Ikuverua, J.B., Morales, J.A., Bolanos, R.V., Sundar, N., Kwok, O.C., Shen, S.K. 2006. Biologic and genetic characteristics of toxoplasma gondii isolates in free-range chickens from costa rica, central america. Veterinary Parasitology. 139:29-36.Interpretive Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite of all warm-blooded hosts worldwide. It causes mental retardation and loss of vision in children, and abortion in livestock. Cats are the main reservoir of T. gondii because they are the only hosts that can excrete the resistant stage (oocyst) of the parasite in the feces. Humans become infected by eating undercooked meat from infected animals and food and water contaminated with oocysts.

Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center  and  Univ. of Costa Rica have found that  T. gondii infection is widely prevalent in chickens from Costa Rica. The results will be of interest to biologists, 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 94 free-range chickens (Gallus domesticus) from Costa Rica was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT), and found in 30 (31.9%) of 94  chickens with titers of 1:5 in 10, 1:10 in  three, 1:20 in  one, 1: 40 in  one , 1: 80 in  four, 1:160 in  two, 1:320 in  six, and  1: 640 or higher  in  three. Hearts and brains of 30 chickens with titers of 1:5 or higher and 16 chickens with doubtful titers were pooled and bioassayed in mice. Tissues from 48 seronegative (MAT <1:5) chickens were pooled and fed to one T. gondii-free cat.  Feces of the cat were examined for oocysts but none was found. T. gondii was isolated by bioassay in mice from 12 chickens with MAT titers of 1:10 or higher. All infected mice from  four of the 12 isolates died of toxoplasmosis.  Overall, 57.4% of 47 mice that became infected after inoculation with chicken tissues died of toxoplasmosis.  Genotyping of these 12 isolates using polymorphisms at the loci SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB and GRA6 revealed  five genotypes. Five isolates had type I alleles and one isolate had type III alleles at all loci. The rest six isolates contained the combination of type I and II or I and III alleles and were divided into three genotypes. None was found to have genotype II alleles at all five loci.  This is the first report of genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from Costa Rica, Central America.


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