Serologic and parasitologic responses of domestic chickens after oral inoculation with Toxoplasma gondii oocysts

• Published in: American journal of veterinary research Vol. 54; no. 10; p. 1668
• Main Authors: Dubey, J.P, Ruff, M.D, Camargo, M.E, Shen, S.K, Wilkins, G.L, Kwok, O.C.H, Thulliez, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.1993
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - biosynthesis; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Chickens - immunology; Chickens - parasitology; Coloring Agents; DIAGNOSTIC; DIAGNOSTICO; ELISA; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary; EPREUVE D'HEMAGGLUTINATION; ETAPAS DEL DESARROLLO ANIMAL; EXPERIMENTACION IN VIVO; EXPERIMENTATION IN VIVO; Hemagglutination Tests - veterinary; INFECCION EXPERIMENTAL; INFECTION EXPERIMENTALE; LATEX; Latex Fixation Tests - veterinary; METHODE D'APPLICATION; METODOS DE APLICACION; POLLO; POULET; Poultry Diseases - diagnosis; Poultry Diseases - parasitology; Poultry Diseases - pathology; PRUEBAS DE HEMAGLUTINACION; REACCIONES DE AGLUTINACION; REACTION D'AGGLUTINATION; REPONSE IMMUNITAIRE; RESPUESTA INMUNOLOGICA; Sensitivity and Specificity; Serologic Tests; STADE DE DEVELOPPEMENT ANIMAL; TECHNIQUE IMMUNOLOGIQUE; TECNICAS INMUNOLOGICAS; TEJIDOS ANIMALES; TEST ELISA; TISSU ANIMAL; Toxoplasma - immunology; Toxoplasma - isolation & purification; TOXOPLASMA GONDII; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - diagnosis; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - parasitology; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - pathology
• ISSN: 0002-9645; 1943-5681
• DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.1993.54.10.1668

Four-week-old chickens were inoculated orally with 1,000 or 100,000 oocysts of the ME-49 or GT-1 strain of Toxoplasma gondii, and their antibody responses were measured, using the direct modified agglutination test, latex agglutination test, indirect hemagglutination test, ELISA, and the Sabin-Feldman dye test. Antibodies against T gondii were detected by use of the modified agglutination test and ELISA within 2 weeks of oocyst inoculation, and antibodies persisted until termination of the study by postinoculation day 68. The latex agglutination test was insensitive in detecting T gondii antibodies, and antibodies were not detected by use of the dye and indirect hemagglutination tests. Of tissues bioassayed in mice for tissue cysts by pepsin digestion of individual organs of chickens on postinoculation day 68, tissue cysts were found in the brain of all 5, heart of 3, and leg muscles of 2, but not in the liver and breast muscles. None of the birds developed clinical toxoplasmosis