Molecular prevalence, genetic characterization and patterns of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic small mammals from Cotonou, Benin

• Published in: Parasite
• Main Authors: Etougbétché, Jonas, Hamidović, Azra, Dossou, Henri-Joël, Coan-Grosso, Maeva, Roques, Roxane, Plault, Nicolas, Houéménou, Gualbert, Badou, Sylvestre, Missihoun, Antoine, Abdou Karim, Issaka Youssao, Galal, Lokman, Diagne, Christophe, Dardé, Marie-Laure, Dobigny, Gauthier, Mercier, Aurélien
• Other Authors: Epidémiologie des Maladies Chroniques en zone tropicale (EpiMaCT), CHU Limoges-Institut d'Epidémiologie Neurologique et de Neurologie Tropicale-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-OmégaHealth (ΩHealth), Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM), Centre National de Référence (CNR) Toxoplasmose/Toxoplasma Biological Resource Center (BRC) (CNR Toxoplasmose-Toxoplasma BRC), CHU Limoges
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-04004277; https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2022058

Toxoplasmosis, one of the most prevalent parasitic infections in humans and animals, is caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii . Small mammals play a key role as intermediate reservoir hosts in the maintenance of the T. gondii life cycle. In this study, we estimated the molecular prevalence and provide genetic diversity data for T. gondii in 632 small mammals sampled in four areas of Cotonou city, Benin. Both the brain and heart of each individual were screened through T. gondii -targeting qPCR, and positive samples were then genotyped using a set of 15 T. gondii -specific microsatellites. Prevalence data were statistically analyzed in order to assess the relative impact of individual host characteristics, spatial distribution, composition of small mammal community, and urban landscape features. An overall T. gondii molecular prevalence of 15.2% was found and seven genotypes, all belonging to the Africa 1 lineage, could be retrieved from the invasive black rat Rattus rattus and the native African giant shrew Crocidura olivieri . Statistical analyses did not suggest any significant influence of the environmental parameters used in this study. Rather, depending on the local context, T. gondii prevalence appeared to be associated either with black rat, shrew, or mouse abundance or with the trapping period. Overall, our results highlight the intricate relationships between biotic and abiotic factors involved in T. gondii epidemiology and suggest that R. rattus and C. olivieri are two competent reservoirs for the Africa 1 lineage, a widespread lineage in tropical Africa and the predominant lineage in Benin. La toxoplasmose, l’une des infections parasitaires les plus répandues chez l’homme et les animaux, est causée par le parasite protozoaire intracellulaire Toxoplasma gondii . Les petits mammifères jouent un rôle clé en tant qu’hôtes réservoirs intermédiaires dans le maintien du cycle de vie de T. gondii . Dans cette étude, nous estimons sa prévalence moléculaire et fournissons des ...