First Detection of Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle & Manceaux, 1908) (Eucoccidiorida: Sarcocystidae) in River Waters in Serbia

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful parasites in the world. Its life form found in the environment, where it may stay viable for a year or more, is the oocyst, excreted by members of the family Felidae as the definite host. During the past decades, several waterborne epidemics of toxoplasmosis worldwide indicated the importance of water as a source of T. gondii infection. In Serbia, detection of oocysts in water has not been previously performed and, therefore, there are no data regarding the presence of T. gondii in Serbian rivers. To fill this gap, surface water samples (n=20) were collected from four major rivers and their tributaries throughout Serbia. The samples were concentrated by filtration and total DNA was extracted from the pellet using a commercial kit. Next, the samples were screened for T. gondii DNA by amplification of the 529 bp repeat fragment by conventional PCR. Three positive samples were detected and all three were confirmed by amplification of GRA6 and SAG2 genes. This first detection of T. gondii in river waters in Serbia suggests that the examined rivers are contaminated with this protozoan, which makes them a potential source of infection. In addition, this study has shown that the used PCR methodology can successfully detect T. gondii in water samples.