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Joeres M, Maksimov P, Höper D, Calvelage S, Calero-Bernal R, Fernández-Escobar M, Koudela B, Blaga R, Vrhovec MG, Stollberg K, Bier N, Sotiraki S, Sroka J, Piotrowska W, Kodym P, Basso W, Conraths FJ, Mercier A, Galal L, Dardé ML, Balea A, Spano F, Schulze C, Peters M, Scuda N, Lundén A, Davidson RK, Terland R, Waap H, de Bruin E, Vatta P, Caccio S, Ortega-Mora LM, Jokelainen P, Schares G. Genotyping of European Toxoplasma gondii strains by a new high-resolution next-generation sequencing-based method. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2024; 43:355-371. [PMID: 38099986 PMCID: PMC10822014 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-023-04721-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE A new high-resolution next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based method was established to type closely related European type II Toxoplasma gondii strains. METHODS T. gondii field isolates were collected from different parts of Europe and assessed by whole genome sequencing (WGS). In comparison to ME49 (a type II reference strain), highly polymorphic regions (HPRs) were identified, showing a considerable number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). After confirmation by Sanger sequencing, 18 HPRs were used to design a primer panel for multiplex PCR to establish a multilocus Ion AmpliSeq typing method. Toxoplasma gondii isolates and T. gondii present in clinical samples were typed with the new method. The sensitivity of the method was tested with serially diluted reference DNA samples. RESULTS Among type II specimens, the method could differentiate the same number of haplotypes as the reference standard, microsatellite (MS) typing. Passages of the same isolates and specimens originating from abortion outbreaks were identified as identical. In addition, seven different genotypes, two atypical and two recombinant specimens were clearly distinguished from each other by the method. Furthermore, almost all SNPs detected by the Ion AmpliSeq method corresponded to those expected based on WGS. By testing serially diluted DNA samples, the method exhibited a similar analytical sensitivity as MS typing. CONCLUSION The new method can distinguish different T. gondii genotypes and detect intra-genotype variability among European type II T. gondii strains. Furthermore, with WGS data additional target regions can be added to the method to potentially increase typing resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Joeres
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - P Maksimov
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - D Höper
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - S Calvelage
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - R Calero-Bernal
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Fernández-Escobar
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - B Koudela
- Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - R Blaga
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | - K Stollberg
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Department for Biological Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - N Bier
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Department for Biological Safety, Berlin, Germany
| | - S Sotiraki
- Veterinary Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation-DIMITRA, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - J Sroka
- Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - W Piotrowska
- Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - P Kodym
- Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - W Basso
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - F J Conraths
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - A Mercier
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of chronic diseases in tropical zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
- Centre National de Référence (CNR) Toxoplasmose Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Dupuytren, Limoges, France
| | - L Galal
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of chronic diseases in tropical zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
| | - M L Dardé
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of chronic diseases in tropical zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
- Centre National de Référence (CNR) Toxoplasmose Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Dupuytren, Limoges, France
| | - A Balea
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - F Spano
- Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - C Schulze
- Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - M Peters
- Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Westfalen, Standort Arnsberg, Arnsberg, Germany
| | - N Scuda
- Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Erlangen, Germany
| | - A Lundén
- Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R K Davidson
- Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Food Safety, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Tromsø, Norway
| | - R Terland
- Department of Analysis and Diagnostics, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
| | - H Waap
- Parasitology Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - E de Bruin
- Dutch Wildlife Health Centre, Pathology Division, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - P Vatta
- Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - S Caccio
- Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - L M Ortega-Mora
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Jokelainen
- Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G Schares
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
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Joeres M, Cardron G, Passebosc-Faure K, Plault N, Fernández-Escobar M, Hamilton CM, O'Brien-Anderson L, Calero-Bernal R, Galal L, Luttermann C, Maksimov P, Conraths FJ, Dardé ML, Ortega-Mora LM, Jokelainen P, Mercier A, Schares G. A ring trial to harmonize Toxoplasma gondii microsatellite typing: comparative analysis of results and recommendations for optimization. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2023:10.1007/s10096-023-04597-7. [PMID: 37093325 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-023-04597-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
A ring trial among five European laboratories was organized to reach consistency in microsatellite (MS) typing of the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Three sample sets were circulated and analyzed by each laboratory following a previously published method that is based on fragment length polymorphism of 15 MS markers. The first sample set compared typing results in general and focused on effects of DNA concentration; the second sample set focused on the polymorphic fingerprinting markers that can differentiate T. gondii strains within the same archetypal lineage; and the third set focused on non-archetypal genotypes. Methodological variations between laboratories, including the software programs used to determine MS fragment length, were collated using a questionnaire. Overall, lineage-level typing results reached a high level of agreement, especially in samples with the highest DNA concentrations. However, laboratory-specific differences were observed for particular markers. Major median differences in fragment length, of up to 6 base pairs, were related to the fluorophore used to label fragment-specific primers. In addition, primer pairs with identical sequences obtained from different suppliers resulted in fragments of differing length. Furthermore, differences in the way the sequencing profiles were assessed and interpreted may have led to deviating results in fragment length determination. Harmonization of MS typing, for example, by using the same fluorophores or by numerical adjustments applied to the fragment-lengths determined, could improve the uniformity of the results across laboratories. This is the first interlaboratory comparison, providing guidelines (added as a supplement) for the optimization of this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Joeres
- Institute of Epidemiology, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - G Cardron
- Institute of Epidemiology, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - K Passebosc-Faure
- Centre National de Référence (CNR) Toxoplasmose Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Dupuytren, Limoges, France
| | - N Plault
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases in Tropical Zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
| | - M Fernández-Escobar
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - C M Hamilton
- The Moredun Research Institute, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK
| | - L O'Brien-Anderson
- Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - R Calero-Bernal
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - L Galal
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases in Tropical Zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
| | - C Luttermann
- Institute of Immunology, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, -Insel Riems, Greifswald, Germany
| | - P Maksimov
- Institute of Epidemiology, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - F J Conraths
- Institute of Epidemiology, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - M L Dardé
- Centre National de Référence (CNR) Toxoplasmose Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Dupuytren, Limoges, France
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases in Tropical Zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
| | - L M Ortega-Mora
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Jokelainen
- Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - A Mercier
- Centre National de Référence (CNR) Toxoplasmose Centre Hospitalier-Universitaire Dupuytren, Limoges, France
- Inserm U1094, IRD U270, Univ. Limoges, CHU Limoges, EpiMaCT - Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases in Tropical Zone, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, OmegaHealth, Limoges, France
| | - G Schares
- Institute of Epidemiology, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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Jokelainen P, Murat JB, Nielsen HV. Direct genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from clinical samples from Denmark: not only genotypes II and III. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2017; 37:579-586. [PMID: 29197989 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-017-3152-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Genetic variation within Toxoplasma gondii can have both clinical and epidemiological significance, while the genotypes circulating in many parts of the world, including the Nordic country Denmark, are still unknown. We genetically characterized T. gondii strains that had been detected in human clinical samples in Denmark in 2011-2016. Samples that had tested positive for T. gondii DNA and had a quantification cycle value <33 were included in this study and subjected to direct genetic characterization of T. gondii based on length-polymorphism of 15 microsatellite markers. A total of 23 DNA samples from 22 individual patients were analyzed. The results were consistent with genotype II with 15/15 markers amplified from seven samples from the central nervous system (CNS) including two samples from one patient, four ocular samples, and one unspecified sample; with genotype III with 15/15 markers amplified from two ocular samples; with genotype Africa 1 with 15/15 markers amplified from one amniotic fluid sample and from one CNS-sample; with atypical genotype with 15/15 markers amplified from one CNS-sample and with 11/15 markers amplified from one CNS-sample; and with HG12-like genotype with 9/15 markers amplified from one CNS-sample. Genotype II, which is endemic in Europe, was predominant, but more than a third of the successfully genotyped strains were non-type-II. The possibility that clinical toxoplasmosis is caused by a strain that is not considered endemic to the region is definitely not negligible.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Jokelainen
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Bacteria, Parasites & Fungi, Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, DK-2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark.
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - J-B Murat
- National Reference Centre for Toxoplasmosis, Biological Resource Center for Toxoplasma, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et de Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Limoges, Limoges, France
- INSERM, UMR_S 1094, Neuroépidémiologie Tropicale, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - H V Nielsen
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Bacteria, Parasites & Fungi, Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, DK-2300, Copenhagen S, Denmark.
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Kantala T, Kinnunen PM, Oristo S, Jokelainen P, Vapalahti O, Maunula L. Hepatitis E Virus Antibodies in Finnish Veterinarians. Zoonoses Public Health 2016; 64:232-238. [PMID: 27621202 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
We investigated hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in Finnish veterinarians engaged in different practice specialties and evaluated the effect of different background factors on HEV exposure by examining total HEV antibodies in samples collected from the participants of the 2009 National Veterinary Congress in Helsinki, Finland. Finnish veterinarians commonly have total HEV antibodies with seroprevalence of 10.2%. Of the non-veterinarians, 5.8% were seropositive. Increasing age was associated with HEV seropositivity, and, surprisingly, the highest HEV seroprevalence (17.8%) among veterinarians was detected among small animal practitioners. Although no positive correlation between swine contacts and HEV seropositivity was found, 22.7% of veterinarians who had had needle stick by a needle that had previously been injected into a pig versus 9.0% of those who had not were seropositive, even though the finding was statistically non-significant (P = 0.07). Our results suggest that, although contact with swine is a known risk factor for HEV infection, the sources of HEV infections are probably numerous, including travelling abroad and possibly also other reservoirs of HEV than pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Kantala
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - P M Kinnunen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Oristo
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - P Jokelainen
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences and Population Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - O Vapalahti
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Virology, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Virology and Immunology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - L Maunula
- Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Simola O, Jokelainen P. Generalized Toxoplasmosis in Five Cats. J Comp Pathol 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2011.11.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Abstract
Blood pressure and body weight rise with age, and hypertension is hypothesized to result from an early disorder of growth. We used the statistical technique of spline fitting to examine patterns of growth and rising blood pressure in individual inbred rats of the Wistar-Kyoto, spontaneously hypertensive (SHR), and stroke-prone SHR strains. Our results indicate that growth is phasic and that a well-defined growth spurt peaks at approximately 50 days of age in each strain. In addition, the time of maximal weight gain corresponds to the onset of a blood pressure spurt. The timing of this blood pressure rise was similar in the three strains, but the maximal rate of blood pressure rise was significantly higher in the hypertensive strains. Our results suggest that growth and rising blood pressure are intimately linked. Blood pressure appears to rise in response to a growth spurt, suggesting that there are growth-related events that trigger the cardiovascular response.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J Schork
- Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109
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Myers SF, Ross MD, Jokelainen P, Graham MD, McClatchey KD. Morphological evidence of vestibular pathology in long-term experimental diabetes mellitus. I. Microvascular changes. Acta Otolaryngol 1985; 100:351-64. [PMID: 4082974 DOI: 10.3109/00016488509126559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The influence of long-term experimental diabetes on the microvasculature of the saccule and utricle was investigated using quantitative light and electron microscopic techniques. Basal lamina thickening or reduplication, typically seen in diabetic microangiopathy, were not observed. However, morphometric analysis did reveal a statistically significant increase in capillary diameters along with an increased vascularization of both the saccule and utricle. Both of these microvascular abnormalities may have been caused by the hemodynamic alterations known to occur in diabetes. These alterations include decreased deformability of red blood cells and increased blood viscosity. Either of these factors can lead to a greater stress on the capillary wall and possibly to a reduced oxygen delivery to the tissues.
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