Contaminated water confirmed as source of infection by bioassay in an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in South Brazil

• DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13741
• Publication Date: 2020-07-18T22:18:40Z
• Authors: Camila Encarnação...; Fagner D'ambroso ...; Luiza Pires Portella; Patricia Bräunig; Diego Artemio Fra...; Leandro Giacomini; Emerson Salvagni; Jessica dos Santo...; Camila Ribeiro Silva; Cledison Márcio D...; Lourdes Bonfleur ...; Ivone Andreatta M...; Gisele Gehrke; Paulo Dilkin; Luis Antonio Sang...; Carlos Augusto Ma...; Fernanda Silveira...
• Keywords: Toxoplasmosis; Water source; Contaminated food; Contaminated water

The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a causative agent of toxoplasmosis, an important and widespread zoonotic disease. transmission this disease in humans includes ingestion sporulated oocysts present contaminated water or food. T. are widely distributed toxoplasmosis considered major food- waterborne pathogen worldwide, making drinking containing source contamination for people. In the first half 2018, unprecedented outbreak was reported city Santa Maria, southern Brazil. temporal spatial distribution cases strongly suggested infection. Thus, aim study to investigate possible involvement treated as outbreak. For this, piglets received potentially ad libitum 21 days infection monitored by serology through IFAT investigation DNA tissues PCR amplification 529 bp followed mouse bioassays. All receiving test well positive controls seroconverted gondii. detected 62.5% that water. mice inoculated with from each piglet were PCR-positive. These results indicated presence viable administered animals during study.