Venereal transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in goats after a buck was experimentally infected

The aim of the present study was to assess the venereal transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in goats. Two bucks of reproductive age were used. One of them was infected orally with 2 × 105 oocysts of the ME-49 strain of T. gondii, whereas the other buck was not infected (control). Ten does were randomly allocated into two groups (G1 and G2), each with five animals. The does in G1 were mated with the buck that had been experimentally infected with T. gondii oocysts. Those in G2 (control) were mated with the serologically negative buck. Infection of the buck and does from G1 was confirmed based on clinical, serological, molecular and histopathological findings. Seroconversion (Indirect Immunofluorescence Reaction) occurred in the infected buck on the 7th day post-infection (d.p.i.) and T. gondii DNA was present (Polymerase Chain Reaction) in the blood and semen on the 3rd d.p.i. In G1, two of the five females seroconverted. T. gondii DNA was found in the blood of two does. The buck in G2 and all of the females that mated with him were negative in all tests. With regard to gestational development among the females in G1, the following results were recorded: embryonic reabsorption occurred in one animal on day 34 after mating; one animal aborted on day 42 after mating; the three other females gave birth to full-term healthy kids. One of these kids exhibited PCR-positive blood at birth. In total, 40% of the does in G1 and 80% of the kids born alive in G1 were PCR-positive in at least one organ. The present study demonstrated that venereal transmission of T. gondii occurs in goats, with vertical transmission occurring from does mated with an infected buck to their kids.