Toxoplasma gondii Oocyst Infectivity Assessed Using a Sporocyst-Based Cell Culture Assay Combined with Quantitative PCR for Environmental Applications.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous foodborne protozoan that can infect humans at low dose and displays different prevalences among countries in the world. Ingestion of food or water contaminated with small amounts of T. gondii oocysts may result in human infection. However, there are no regulations for monitoring oocysts in food, mainly because of a lack of standardized methods to detect them. The objectives of this study were (i) to develop a reliable method, applicable in biomonitoring, for the rapid detection of infectious oocysts by cell culture of their sporocysts combined with quantitative PCR (sporocyst-CC-qPCR) and (ii) to adapt this method to blue and zebra mussels experimentally contaminated by oocysts with the objective to use these organisms as sentinels of aquatic environments.

SUBMITTER: Rousseau A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6805083 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature