Genotyping ofin domestic animals from Campeche, México, reveals virulent genotypes and a recombinantallele.

Abstract

has at least 318 genotypes distributed worldwide, and tropical regions usually have greater genetic diversity. Campeche is a state located in the southeastern region of M&#xe9;xico and has favourable climate conditions for the replication and dissemination of this protozoan, similar to those in South American countries where broad genetic diversity has been described. Thus, in this study, 4isolates were obtained from tissues of stray dogs and free-range chickens in Campeche, M&#xe9;xico, and were genotyped by Mn-PCR-RFLP with 10 typing markers (,,,,,,,,and) and 5 virulence markers (,,,and) to provide new information about the distribution and virulence prediction ofgenotypes. Two isolates ofgenotype #116 and 2 of genotype #38 were obtained from stray dogs and chickens, respectively. The parasite load found in these species was between <50 and more than 35 000 tachyzoites per mg of tissue. Virulence marker genotyping revealed a recombinant 1&3RFLP pattern in 2 ToxoDB #116 isolates with no prediction of virulence in a murine model, while in the 2 ToxoDB #38 isolates, the/combination predicted high virulence. Considering all the typed markers, there is a predominance of type I and III alleles, as constantly reported for the isolates characterized in various regions of M&#xe9;xico. It is crucial to determine their phenotype to corroborate the genetic virulence profile of theisolates obtained in this study.