toxoplasma gondii infection in slaughtered ewes in khorramabad, west of iran: a preliminary molecular study

Background: the parasitic protozoa toxoplasma gondii is widely prevalent in humans and warm-blooded animals. humans are usually infected with t. gondii by ingesting oocysts shed by cats or by ingesting viable tissue cysts present in raw or undercooked meat. objectives: this preliminary study was conducted to assess the frequency of toxoplasma gondii infection in tissue samples of ewes slaughtered in khorramabad, in the west of iran. methods: we examined the brain tissue, diaphragm, tongue and masseter muscles of 30 ewes. a nested-pcr which targets the 25-50 copies of b1 sequence has been used for tissue samples. results: the parasite was identified in 21 brain samples (70%) and 8 muscle samples (26.6%). twenty-three sheep (76.6%) were infected with t. gondii. conclusions: t. gondii might be considered as one of the major causes of ovine abortion in this region. according to the result, edible parts of sheep may play a greater role as a source of infection for individuals living in this area.