SEROLOGICAL SURVEY OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN WILD WATERFOWL IN CHUKOTKA, KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA AND HOKKAID
June 27th, 2008 | by admin |SEROLOGICAL SURVEY OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN WILD WATERFOWL IN CHUKOTKA, KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA AND HOKKAIDO, JAPAN.
Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were assayed by ELISA in 22 domestic ducks experimentally inoculated with parasites. In addition, a serological assay was carried out on 221 wild ducks of 5 species, Anas. platyrhynchus (n=111), A. poecilorhyncha (n=27), A. acuta (n=58), A. penelope (n=16), and A. crecca (n=9), at Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan in 2004 and 2005, and 197 wild geese 2 sepcies, Anser albifrons (n=162), Ans. fabalis (n=35), in 3 different areas: Lake Miyajinma-numa, Hokkaido, Japan, regions around Anadyr city of Chukotka autonomous okrug, and Lake Makobetukoe, Kamchatka oblast, Russia between 2003 and 2005. The ELISA cut-off value was taken as OD>==0.395 based on results from non-infected ducks and the final dilution ratio recognized as positive was represented by the end titer. The end titer in the experimentally infected ducks ranged from 1: 400 to 1:3200. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 49 of the 221 wild duck samples (A. platyrhynchus: 22/74, A. poecilorhyncha: 2/15, A. penelope: 3/16, A. acuta: 4/58, A. crecca: 0/9 in 2004, and A. platyrhynchus: 13/37, and A. poecilorhyncha: 5/12 in 2005) and in 32 of 197 wild goose samples Ans. albifrons: 7/51 in 2004, 11/72 in 2005 in Miyajima-numa, Japan and 9/39 in Chukotka, Russia and Ans. fabalis: 5/35 in Kamchatka), for which the end titer ranged for which the end titer ranged from 1:100 to 1:3200. In immunoblotting, the A. platyrhynchus samples showed specific antibody IgG binding to several antigens on the T. gondii lane, at 30 and 43 kDa, but not on the Neospora. caninum lane. No specific bands were noted in samples for which antibody activity was not detected. These results suggest that wild waterfowl inhabiting Hokkaido, Chukotka and Kamtchaka may be exposed to T. gondii.
Murao T, Omata Y, Kano R, Murata S, Okada T, Konnai S, Asakawa M, Ohashi K, Onuma M.