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Original Article
Copro-molecular diagnosis of the Toxoplasmatinae subfamily in dog and cat populations in northern Iran
Leila Izadi, Shahabeddin Sarvi, Seyed Abdollah Hosseini, Afsaneh Amouei, Mehdi Sharif, Mohammad Taghi Rahimi, Tooran Nayeri, Ahmad Daryani
Epidemiol Health. 2020;42:e2020074.   Published online December 4, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2020074
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AbstractAbstract PDF
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
The oocysts of the Toxoplasmatinae subfamily (<i>Neospora caninum, Hammondia hammondi</i> and <i>H. heydorni</i>, and <i>Besnoitia besnoiti</i>) are morphologically similar to <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>, and indistinguishable from each other. This study investigated the prevalence of the Toxoplasmatinae subfamily in dog and cat fecal samples using a nested polymerase chain reaction method.
METHODS
Overall, 200 fecal samples from domestic dogs (n=120) and cats (n=80) were collected from 15 farms in northern Iran. The samples were homogenized in 2.5% potassium dichromate solution and subsequently concentrated with sucrose solution. DNA was extracted from samples using a genomic DNA kit. Specific primers and the 18S rDNA gene were used to screen and detect all Toxoplasmatinae oocysts.
RESULTS
Overall, 2.5% (3 of 120) and 22.5% (18 of 80) of the fecal samples collected from dogs and cats were infected with Toxoplasmatinae. In dogs, 2 samples were positive for <i>N. caninum</i> and 1 sample was positive for <i>T. gondii</i>. In cats, all 18 positive samples belonged to <i>T. gondii</i>. No contamination with <i>H. heydorni</i> was observed in dog fecal samples or <i>H. hammondi</i> and <i>B. besnoiti</i> in cat fecal samples. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the <i>T. gondii</i> (cat) and <i>N. caninum</i> (dog) found had similarities with parasites reported from other regions of the world.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to provide data on the epidemiology of Toxoplasmatinae oocysts in Iran. The findings suggest that public-health monitoring for the effective control of feces from cats and dogs and improved pet hygiene habits are needed.
Summary

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Endangered Wild Felines (Felis silvestris and Lynx pardinus) in Spain
    Pablo Matas Méndez, Isabel Fuentes Corripio, Ana Montoya Matute, Begoña Bailo Barroso, Rebeca Grande Gómez, Ariadna Apruzzese Rubio, Francisco Ponce Gordo, Marta Mateo Barrientos
    Animals.2023; 13(15): 2488.     CrossRef
  • Endoparasites of European Wildcats (Felis silvestris) in Greece
    Anastasia Diakou, Despina Migli, Dimitris Dimzas, Simone Morelli, Angela Di Cesare, Dionisios Youlatos, Petros Lymberakis, Donato Traversa
    Pathogens.2021; 10(5): 594.     CrossRef

Epidemiol Health : Epidemiology and Health