Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in sylvatic rodents in Poland using molecular and serological methods

Abstract

Rodents are known to be reservoirs of Toxoplasma gondii and keep the parasite circula-tion in the environment. We conducted biomonitoring to assess the role of sylvatic rodents in maintaining T. gondii and to analyse the prevalence and seroprevalence of the parasite in seven wild rodent species. Rodents were collected in our open grassland study site located in north-eastern Poland and dissected. We collected brain, spleen, blood and serum samples. We applied both molecular (PCR assay, nested-PCR assay) and serological (ELISA and agglutination tests) methods to indicate the best approach for application in the biomonitoring of T. gondii in small mammals. We screened samples from 68 individuals sing PCR assays and found no T. gondii DNA. The agglutination test showed no signal. We found antibodies against T. gondii in 5 sera samples out of 56 analysed (seroprevalence = 8.9% [4.4–16.8]). Our results confirm that rodents participate in the life cycle of T. gondii as reservoirs of this parasite in the sylvatic environment. However, biomonitoring should be performed with the ELISA tests to search for T. gondii anti-gens, rather than a molecular approach only.