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Title:   Author  item
                                            Dubey, Jitenderitem
                                            VELMURUGAN, G - USDA ARS APDL BELTSVILLEitem
                                            ULRICH, V - IOWA STATE U AMES IAitem
                                            GILL, J - IOWA STATE U AMES IAitem
                                            CARSTEBSEB, N - FOREST LAKE MNitem
                                            SUNDAR, N - USDA ARS APDL BELTSVILLEitem
                                            Kwok, Oliveritem
                                            THULLIEZ, P - U TENNESSEE KNOXVILLEitem
                                            SU, C - FOREST LAKE MN
  Submitted to: International Journal for Parasitology
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 12/5/2007
                                    Publication  Date: 6/1/2008
                                    Citation: Dubey, J.P., Velmurugan, G.V., Ulrich, V., Gill, J., Carstebseb, N., Sundar, N., Kwok, O.C., Thulliez, P., Su, C. 2008. Transplacental toxoplasmosis in naturally-infected white-tailed deer: isolation and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii   from   foetuses of different gestational ages. International Journal for Parasitology. 38:1057-1063.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. Toxoplasmosis causes mortality in many species of animals in the zoos, especially wallabies. Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center   report prevalence of T,. gondii in deer from Iowa and Minnesota.. The results will be of interest to biologists, parasitologists, and veterinarians
                                Technical Abstract: Clinical toxoplasmosis is most severe in congenitally-infected hosts. In humans, transmission of Toxoplasma gondii from the mother to the foetus is considered to be most efficient during the last trimester of pregnancy but clinical congenital toxoplasmosis is more severe if the transmission occurs during the first trimester. However, there are no data on the rate of congenital transmission of T. gondii with respect to gestational age in any host during natural infection. In the present study, attempts were made to isolate T. gondii by bioassay in mice inoculated with foetuses of 88 naturally-exposed white-tailed deer from Iowa and Minnesota. Viable T. gondii was isolated from foetuses of six of 61  deer in early pregnancy (45-85 days of gestation) and  foetuses of nine of 27 deer  in mid gestation (130 -150 days) of a gestational  period  of seven months. Five of these 15 isolates were from pregnant deer had no detectable antibodies to T. gondii in the modified agglutination test. Results indicate that transmission of T. gondii is more efficient in later stages of pregnancy and the foetus can become infected even before the dam becomes seropositive to the parasite. The 15 T. gondii isolates obtained from fetal deer were PCR-RFLP genotyped using polymorphisms at 10 nuclear markers including SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and an apicoplast marker Apico. Five genotypes were revealed. The most common genotype was Type II, commonly found in humans in North America and Europe suggesting the possible link of transmission from game animals to humans.


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