Isolamento e caracterização genética de Toxoplasma gondii de gatos ferais no Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brasil

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular coccidian, tissue cyst forming, which causes toxoplasmosis, zoonotic disease of great impact in public health. T. gondii is able to infect most of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Felids are recognized as the only definitive hosts and are important in toxoplasmosis epidemiology, shedding oocysts in feces, contaminating environment. The purpose of this study was to isolate and genotyping T. gondii in feral cats (Felis catus) from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Pernambuco state, Brazil. During one year sick feral cats were caught by Archipelago Animal Vigilance Center. After chemical restraint (ketamine 10% and xylazine 1%) blood samples of 31 feral cats from different locations on the island were collected. These weak animals posteriorly died and fragments of brain, heart, lung, diaphragm, and liver were collected. Blood samples were intended to serology by Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) for IgG antibody detection and tissue fragments were submitted to mouse bioassay for T. gondii isolation. Anti-T.gondii antibodies were detected in 18/31 (58%) felines. Tissues from seven animals were submitted to bioassay, obtaining two T. gondii isolates non-pathogenic for mouse. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP using 10 molecular markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1 e Apico), identifying an atypical strain of T. gondii (ToxoDB #146). This is the first report of this genotype in feral cats worldwide. The results obtained contribute to molecular epidemiology studies of this pathogen and show/demonstrate T. gondii infection in feline population of the Archipelago. Control measures based on health education should be reinforced to prevent the cat infection and to reduce infection sources for definitive and intermediate hosts, especially to human population of this island.