Rattan Divya, Datta Priya, Sharma Devyani, Bhusal Chandra Kanta, Sehgal Rakesh
Department of Medical Parasitology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
Department of Microbiology, Aarupadai Veedu Medical College & Hospital, Puducherry, 607403, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 27;15(1):10537. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-90469-3.
Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic protozoan parasite, affects up to one-third of the global population. It can be transmitted through consumption of raw or undercooked meat, vertical transmission, or oocysts from contaminated water, soil, or food. However, there are no reports on the molecular prevalence of T. gondii in environmental sources like soil, water, and vegetables in India. This study aimed to detect and analyze T. gondii in samples from Chandigarh city, India. A total of 100 each soil & water and 500 vegetable samples were collected and analyzed using conventional PCR assay, real-time PCR assay targeting the glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (B1) gene and real-time LAMP assay targeting both B1 and Toxoplasma gondii outer wall protein (TgOWP) genes. Results showed that 15% of water, 9% of soil, and 6.4% of vegetable samples were positive for T. gondii. Real-time PCR assay and real-time LAMP assay detected slightly higher positivity rates in water and vegetable samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the T. gondii isolates clustered with those from other regions such as Iran, India, Mexico, and those found in cats, pigs, and humans. This study is the first report of T. gondii contamination in environmental sources and fresh produce in India. The findings highlight the potential risk of human infection from contaminated water, soil, and vegetables in the region.
刚地弓形虫是一种人畜共患的原生动物寄生虫，全球多达三分之一的人口受其影响。它可通过食用生的或未煮熟的肉类、垂直传播，或来自受污染水、土壤或食物的卵囊传播。然而，在印度，尚无关于土壤、水和蔬菜等环境源中刚地弓形虫分子流行率的报道。本研究旨在检测和分析印度昌迪加尔市样本中的刚地弓形虫。共采集了100份土壤和水样以及500份蔬菜样本，并使用传统PCR检测、靶向甘油-3-磷酸脱氢酶（B1）基因的实时PCR检测以及靶向B1和刚地弓形虫外壁蛋白（TgOWP）基因的实时环介导等温扩增（LAMP）检测进行分析。结果显示，15%的水样、9%的土壤样本和6.4%的蔬菜样本中刚地弓形虫呈阳性。实时PCR检测和实时LAMP检测在水样和蔬菜样本中检测到的阳性率略高。系统发育分析表明，刚地弓形虫分离株与来自伊朗、印度、墨西哥等其他地区以及在猫、猪和人类中发现的分离株聚集在一起。本研究是印度环境源和新鲜农产品中刚地弓形虫污染的首次报道。研究结果突出了该地区受污染的水、土壤和蔬菜对人类感染的潜在风险。
