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High levels of congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on sheep farms provides evidence of vertical transmission in ovine hosts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2004

R. H. WILLIAMS ,
E. K. MORLEY ,
J. M. HUGHES ,
P. DUNCANSON ,
R. S. TERRY ,
J. E. SMITH  and
G. HIDE
R. H. WILLIAMS
Affiliation:
Centre for Parasitology, Molecular Epidemiology and Ecology, Bioscience Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
E. K. MORLEY
Affiliation:
Centre for Parasitology, Molecular Epidemiology and Ecology, Bioscience Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
J. M. HUGHES
Affiliation:
Centre for Parasitology, Molecular Epidemiology and Ecology, Bioscience Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
P. DUNCANSON
Affiliation:
Centre for Parasitology, Molecular Epidemiology and Ecology, Bioscience Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
R. S. TERRY
Affiliation:
School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9TJ, UK
J. E. SMITH
Affiliation:
School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9TJ, UK
G. HIDE
Affiliation:
Centre for Parasitology, Molecular Epidemiology and Ecology, Bioscience Research Institute, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
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Abstract

Recent research suggests that vertical transmission may play an important role in sustaining Toxoplasma gondii infection in some species. We report here that congenital transmission occurs at consistently high levels in pedigree Charollais and outbred sheep flocks sampled over a 3-year period. Overall rates of transmission per pregnancy determined by PCR based diagnosis, were consistent over time in a commercial sheep flock (69%) and in sympatric (60%) and allopatric (41%) populations of Charollais sheep. The result of this was that 53·7% of lambs were acquiring an infection prior to birth: 46·4% of live lambs and 90·0% of dead lambs (in agreement with the association made between T. gondii and abortion). No significant differences were observed between lamb sexes. Although we cannot distinguish between congenital transmission occurring due to primary infection at pregnancy or reactivation of chronic infection during pregnancy, our observations of consistently high levels of congenital transmission over successive lambings favour the latter.

Keywords

Toxoplasma gondiicongenital transmissionovineabortion
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 130 , Issue 3 , March 2005 , pp. 301 - 307
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

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