Serological and molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in free-ranging rats from Nagpur, India

• Published in: Parasitology research (1987) 2024-01, Vol.123 (1), p.63-63, Article 63
• Main Authors: Mishra, Veena, Mitra, Pallabi, Barbuddhe, Shruti, Thorat, Yogesh, Chavan, Kailas, Shinde, Shilpshri, Chaudhari, Sandeep, Khan, Waqar, Deshmukh, Abhijit S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Protozoan; B1 gene; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; blood; brain; chi-square distribution; Coccidiosis - epidemiology; Coccidiosis - veterinary; DNA; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; gender; genes; habitats; Health aspects; Immunology; India; India - epidemiology; Infection; Life cycles; Medical Microbiology; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Microbiology; Neospora; Neospora caninum; Polymerase chain reaction; Protozoa; Rats; Rodentia; Rodents; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Serology; seroprevalence; species; Toxoplasma - genetics; Toxoplasma gondii; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - diagnosis; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - epidemiology; Viral antibodies
• ISSN: 0932-0113; 1432-1955
• DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08095-9

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are cyst-forming coccidian parasites that infect both wild and domestic non-felids as intermediate hosts, with rodents serving as important reservoir hosts during their life cycles. This study was aimed at investigating T . gondii and N . caninum infections and identifying factors favouring T . gondii infection in free-ranging rats from India. A total of 181 rodents were trap-captured, and blood and brain samples were subsequently collected for serological and molecular examination of T . gondii and N . caninum . Antibodies against T . gondii and N . caninum were detected by MAT/NAT and IFAT in 13.8% (25/181) and 1.65% (3/181) of rodents, respectively. All three N . caninum samples positive by NAT/IFAT were also positive for ELISA, while for T . gondii , 19 of 25 MAT/IFAT positive samples were also positive for ELISA. The antibody titers (MAT/NAT/IFAT) of rodents seropositive for T . gondii ranged from 25 to 400, while those of rats seropositive for N . caninum ranged from 25 to 100. Also, using PCR, DNA from T . gondii (B1 gene) and N . caninum (NC5 gene) was found in 2.76% (5/181) of brain samples and 0.55% (1/181) of brain samples. All PCR positive samples were also seropositive. No mixed infections were observed in the serological and molecular detections. A Chi-square analysis revealed that older rats and rats living in urban areas are significantly associated with T . gondii infection; however, rodent species, gender, location, habitat types, and seasonality were statistically nonsignificant. Overall, this study demonstrated that T . gondii was widely distributed while N . caninum was less prevalent among free-ranging rats in the studied area.