Toxoplasma gondii

• Main Authors: Scherrer, Patrick, Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre, Marti, Iris A., St, Borel, ephanie, Frey, Caroline F., Mueller, Norbert, Ruetten, Maja, Basso, Walter
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Chromista; Miozoa; Eucoccidiida; Sarcocystidae; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasma gondii; Arctic; Escobar; Norway; Prestrud; Lynx
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10914361; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/930287D6FFAEFF89FFC4CD3FEE7E5A0E

4.5. Genotyping T. gondii in lynx Recent studies, especially in Brazil, have shown that there is greater genetic variability in T. gondii than initially believed (Vitaliano et al., 2014; Witter et al., 2020). An overview of the known allele-type combinations is provided by the ToxoDB database (https://toxodb.org/ toxo/app, ToxoDB, accessed 09.08.2022). This is the first T. gondii genotyping study in wild carnivores from Switzerland. A complete multilocus genotyping could only be achieved for four animals, though T. gondii was identified in more individuals. The main difficulty was to obtain samples with sufficient DNA amount. The well-known and widespread genotype #3 (type II variant; Shwab et al., 2014) was detected in three of the animals. Toxo DB #3 has previously been isolated from European wildlife several times. This genotype was detected in arctic foxes from Norway, wildcats and Eurasian beavers ( Castor fiber ) from Germany and even dolphins from the Mediterranean Sea (Prestrud et al., 2008; Herrmann et al., 2013; Fern´andez-Escobar et al., 2022b). Also in Switzerland, genotype ToxoDB #3 was already detected in domestic cats and voles (Berger-Schoch et al., 2011; Spycher et al., 2011; Pardo Gil et al., 2023). Genotype II is typically considered intermediate to non-virulent in mice, causing mostly subclinical infections (Sibley and Boothroyd, 1992; Wendte et al., 2011). Nevertheless, genotype II was associated with fatal infections in 32 animals from altogether five different species (Jokelainen, 2012), including a fatal case in a domestic cat from Switzerland (Spycher et al., 2011). Genotype III is strongly represented and largely considered of low virulence (Sibley and Boothroyd, 1992). Furthermore, a new, unknown genotype was found in skeletal muscle of a juvenile lynx. In the newly discovered allele pattern, six of the 10 tested markers corresponded to type III alleles, two to type II, one to type I (Apico), as well as one marker (SAG1) where a type II or III allele was possible. The obtained ...