Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in the slaughter sheep and goats from North India

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that infects almost all the warm blooded animals, including human beings. The disease usually remains asymptomatic but is a serious concern for pregnant women, developing foetus and immuno-compromised individuals. We collected 400 cardiac/skeletal muscle tissue samples from slaughter sheep (177) and goat (223) intended for human consumption from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh states/union territory in North India. The samples were pepsin-HCl digested and DNA was extracted from all the digested samples. Nested-PCR was carried out to amplify 580 bp and 531 bp bands with external and internal sets of primers specific for B1 gene of T. gondii. Molecularly, six (1.5%) isolates of T. gondii were detected. In PCR, T. gondii DNA were detected from 1.69% and 1.34% of the sheep and goat samples, respectively. Three PCR amplified products were sequenced in both the directions and readable sequences were obtained. Due to a low level of polymorphism in the targeted B1 gene, the clonal lineages of different isolates could not be determined. The results indicate that T. gondii in slaughter sheep and goat presents a low food safety risk for public health in North India.