A Survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infecting House Mice from a Hybrid Zone

0427923 - BC 2015 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Hůrková-Hofmannová, L. - Qablan, M. A. - Juránková, J. - Modrý, David - Piálek, Jaroslav
A Survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infecting House Mice from a Hybrid Zone.
Journal of Parasitology. Roč. 100, č. 1 (2014), s. 139-141. ISSN 0022-3395. E-ISSN 1937-2345
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/08/0640
Institutional support: RVO:60077344 ; RVO:68081766
Keywords : mouse Mus musculus * feral rodents * wild rodents
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology; EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology (UBO-W)
Impact factor: 1.227, year: 2014

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are closely related coccidian parasites infecting a wide range of wild and domestic animals as intermediate hosts, and rodents serve as important reservoir hosts during the life cycles of these parasites. The present study is aimed at identifying T. gondii and N. caninum infection in 360 wild house mice (Mus musculus) collected across the Czech-German border, where 2 genetically distinct mouse subspecies meet and hybridize. Toxoplasma gondii or N. caninum DNA was detected in the brains of individual mice by PCR, but mixed infections were never observed. No significant differences in gender or trapping localities were found in the positive mice. The survey reveals a low frequency of T. gondii (0.6%) and N. caninum (3.6%) occurrence in the house mice population of the monitored part of the hybrid zone.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0233352