Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii among commensal rodents from the Sahiwal division, Punjab, Pakistan

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease in humans and animals caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii . Rodents not only act as intermediate hosts for T. gondii but are also a significant source of T. gondii infection for other hosts. There is limited information about the prevalence of this protozoan within rodents in Pakistan. The current study was conducted to determine the prevalence of T. gondii in commensal rodents as well as associated risk factors. A total of 236 rats including Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus were captured from three districts of the Sahiwal division in Punjab province, Pakistan. Brain samples were collected from each specimen. Data was gathered about rodent species, gender, age, location, districts, seasonality, and habitat type. PCR assays were used to screen for T. gondii from the brain samples. A Chi-square analysis was used to investigate the association between positive samples and risk factors. A total of 236 rodent spleen samples were examined for detection of the B1 and SAG3 genes of T. gondii DNA by conventional PCR, and 14 (5.9%) were positive. T. gondii prevalence was higher in R. norvegicus (8.2%) compared to R. rattus (4.6%). All risk factors were statistically non-significant. This study provides evidence of T. gondii in rodents in the Sahiwal division and indicates that other animals and humans are at risk of infection.