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
 Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Resources
                        Our ScientistsSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory 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
                                            TILAHUN, GETACHEW - Addis Ababa Universityitem
                                            BOYLE, JON - University Of Pittsburghitem
                                            SCHARES, GEREON - Federal Research Instituteitem
                                            VERMA, SHIV - Collaboratoritem
                                            FERREIRA, LEANDRA - Collaboratoritem
                                            SOLANGE, OLIVEIRA - Collaboratoritem
                                            TIAO, NARY - The Ohio State Universityitem
                                            DARRINGTON, COURTNEY - The Ohio State Universityitem
                                            GEBREYES, WONDWOSSEN - The Ohio State University
  Submitted to: Journal of Parasitology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2013
                                    Publication  Date: 9/1/2013
                                    Citation: Dubey, J.P., Tilahun, G., Boyle, J., Schares, G., Verma, S.K., Ferreira, L.R., Oliveira, S., Tiao, N., Darrington, C., Gebreyes, W. 2013. First isolation of Hammondia hammondi from a cat from Ethiopia. Journal of Parasitology. 99: 614-618.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 under cooked meat from infected animals, as well as food and water contaminated with oocysts.  Why some people become sick whereas most infected with toxoplasmosis remain asymptomatic is largely unknown.  Parasite genetics is thought to be one factor determining the clinical outcome.  Hammondia hammondi, is the closest relative of T. gondii but is non pathogenic, and is currently used to study the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis.  The authors report the first isolate of H. hammondi from the African continent.  The results will be of interest to biologists, parasitologists, and public health workers.
                                Technical Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii oocysts are morphologically and antigenically similar to oocysts of another feline coccidian, Hammondia hammondi.  The distinction between H. hammondi and T. gondii is important from an epidemiological perspective because all isolates of T. gondii are potentially pathogenic for humans and animals whereas H. hammondi is not known to cause clinical disease in any naturally infected host.  In the present report, H. hammondi oocysts were found microscopically in the feces of 1 of 36 feral domestic cats (Felis catus) from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Oocysts were orally infective to Swiss Webster and gamma interferon gene knockout (KO) mice; the inoculated mice developed tissue cysts in their muscles.  Laboratory-raised cats fed mouse tissues of infected mice shed H. hammondi oocysts with a prepatent period of 5 days.  The DNA extracted from sporulated oocysts reacted with H. hammondi-specific primers, and sequences were deposited in Genbank (accession nos._).  This is the first report of isolation of H. hammondi from a cat from the African continent.


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