Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from the brain of a dog in Australia and its biological and molecular characterization.
- Journal:
- Veterinary parasitology
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Al-Qassab, Sarwat et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
Researchers in Australia found Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite, in the brain of a young dog for the first time. They confirmed its identity using several tests, including genetic analysis and special imaging techniques. The tests indicated that the strain of the parasite was a Type II, and they also found antibodies suggesting that the mother dog likely got infected while pregnant, passing the parasite to her puppies. This case is significant because it shows for the first time that T. gondii can be passed from mother to puppies in dogs.
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii was isolated from the brain of a young dog for the first time in Australia. The identity of the parasite was confirmed by PCR, Western blotting, electron microscopy and cat bioassay. Genotyping of the isolate (TgDgAu1) was determined by PCR-RFLP markers that showed it to be a Type II strain. Western blotting demonstrated the presence of IgM antibodies to T. gondii suggesting the bitch was probably infected during pregnancy and the T. gondii was transmitted to the pups congenitally. We believe this represents the first description of a natural case of congenital transmission of T. gondii in the dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19556061/