Epidemiology of toxoplasmosis: role of the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis. Issue 1 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhou, Yongzhi; Zhang, Houshuang; Cao, Jie; Gong, Haiyan; Zhou, Jinlin
• Is Part Of: Infectious diseases of poverty. Volume 5:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 6
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Tick -- Haemaphysalis longicornis -- Toxoplasma gondii -- Transmission -- Epidemiology; Communicable diseases -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases -- Prevention -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Poor -- Medical care -- Periodicals; 614.4091724
• DOI: 10.1186/s40249-016-0106-0
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2049-9957

Abstract

Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii infection is mainly caused by ingestion of water or food that is contaminated with oocysts excreted by cats, or by eating raw meat containingT. gondii tissue cysts. However, oral transmission does not explain the common occurrence of toxoplasmosis in a variety of hosts, such as herbivorous animals, birds, and wild rodents. Little information exists on the maintenance ofT. gondii parasites in nature and routes of transmission to domestic and wild animal hosts. Therefore, this study evaluated the role ofHaemaphysalis longicornis ticks in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. Methods The real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique was used to detect the presence ofT. gondii DNA in ticks collected from the field. To observe the amount of dynamic changes ofT. gondii in the tick's body and its infectivity, microinjection of green fluorescence parasites was performed. Under laboratory conditions, we evaluated ifH. longicornis ticks were infected withT. gondii and their potential to transmit the infection to other hosts using traditional parasitological methods coupled with molecular detection techniques. Results The infection rates ofT. gondii parasites among field-collected adult and nymphH. longicornis ticks were 11.26 % and 5.95 %, respectively.T. gondii can survive and remain infective in a tick's body for at least 15 days. We found that blood feeding of infected ticks did not transmitT. gondii to hosts, however, ingestion of infected ticks may be a transmission route between ticks and other common hosts. Conclusion TheT. gondii infection in ticks could serve as a reservoir for toxoplasmosis transmission.