RT Journal Article
T1 Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in naturally infected synanthropic (Muridae) and wild (Cricetidae) rodents from Argentina
A1 Bentancourt Rossoli, Judith V.
A1 Campero, Lucía María
A1 Moré, Gastón
A1 Soto-Cabrera, Agustina
A1 Moore, Dadín P.
A1 Morrell, Eleonora L.
A1 Scioli, María V.
A1 Basso, Walter
A1 Hecker, Yanina Paola
A1 Scioscia, Nathalia P.
AB Rodents serve as reservoir hosts for many parasites, including the closely related intracellular protozoan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum, which are regarded as major causes of abortion in ruminants. This study investigated T. gondii and N. caninum infections in synanthropic (Muridae) and wild (Cricetidae) rodents from rural areas in the Pampas Region, Argentina, using histological, serological, and molecular methods. We also genetically characterized T. gondii isolates. A total of 356 rodents were captured, comprising both murid (Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus) and cricetid (Oxymycterus rufus, Necromys spp., Akodon azarae, Oligoryzomys flavescens, Calomys musculinus, C. laucha) species. Histological examination did not reveal tissue cysts of these parasites. However, antibodies for T. gondii and N. caninum were detected in 9.8 % (35/356) and 1.7 % (6/356) of the samples using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). T. gondii DNA was detected by qPCR in brain samples from two of the 41 seropositive rodents. Multilocus PCR-RFLP revealed atypical T. gondii genotypes in both samples. N. caninum DNA was not detected by PCR in any sample. This study provides the first serological and molecular evidence of T. gondii and N. caninum in Cricetidae rodents from Argentina, including the first genotyping data. The detection of T. gondii DNA exclusively in wild rodents highlights the role of wildlife in parasite transmission.
PB Elsevier
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/130479
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/130479
LA eng
NO Bentancourt Rossoli, J. V., Campero, L. M., Moré, G., Soto-Cabrera, A., Moore, D. P., Morrell, E. L., Scioli, M. V., Basso, W., Hecker, Y. P., & Scioscia, N. P. (2025). Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in naturally infected synanthropic (Muridae) and wild (Cricetidae) rodents from Argentina. Parasitology international, 112, 103204. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2025.103204
NO Contribución de autores:Judith V. Bentancourt Rossoli: Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft. Lucía María Campero: Supervision, Methodology, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft. Gastón Moré: Validation, Methodology, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft. Agustina Soto- Cabrera: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. Dadín P. Moore: Methodology, Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing. Eleonora L. Morrell: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. María V. Scioli: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. Walter Basso: Methodology, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – original draft. Yanina P. Hecker: Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Writing – original draft. Nathalia P. Scioscia: Visualization, Supervision, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft.
NO Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica
NO Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
DS Docta Complutense
RD 8 jun 2026