Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep and goats blood samples by PCR-RFLP in Urmia

Abstract

Infection by the protozoan parasite <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em>, is widespread in humans and many other warm-blooded animals. More than half billion of world human population has serum antibodies to <em>T.</em> <em>gondii</em> and Sheep and goats are more widely infected with <em>T. gondii</em>. <em>T. gondii</em> infection can be diagnosed indirectly with serological methods and directly by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), hybridization, isolation and histology. A total number of 124 goats and 113 sheep blood samples were collected from Urmia region and PCR was used for detection of the pathogenic protozoan <em>T. gondii</em> using B1 gene. The targeted B1 gene is highly conserved in all <em>T. gondii</em> strains and is multiple copy genes whit in the <em>T. gondii</em> genome. The method used for the characterization of <em>T. gondii </em>strains implied digestion with <em>Alu</em>I<em> </em>restriction enzyme of the fragments amplified. The results indicated three positive sheep (1.26%) with one RFLP patterns. The results indicated that the same strain of <em>T. gondii</em> has infected sheep in the region.