Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep and goats blood samples by PCR - RFLP in Urmia

Infection by the protozoan parasiteToxoplasma gondii, is widespread in humans and manyother warm-blooded animals. More than half billion of world human population has serumantibodies toT.gondiiand Sheep and goats are more widely infected withT. gondii.T. gondiiinfection can be diagnosed indirectly with serological methods and directly bypolymerasechainreaction (PCR), hybridization, isolation and histology. A total number of 124 goats and113 sheep blood samples were collected from Urmia region andPCRwas used for detection ofthe pathogenic protozoanT. gondiiusing B1 gene. The targeted B1 gene is highly conserved inallT. gondiistrains andis multiple copy genes whit in theT. gondiigenome. The method usedfor the characterization ofT. gondiistrains implied digestion withAluIrestriction enzyme of thefragments amplified. The results indicated three positive sheep (1.26%) with one RFLPpatterns. The results indicated that the same strain ofT. gondiihas infected sheep in the region.