Molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in impala (Aepyceros melampus) from the Greater Kruger in South Africa: Detection of the Africa 4 lineage
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a widespread zoonotic disease. Despite the clinical significance of this zoonotic parasite, little is known regarding its prevalence in South Africa, particularly in wildlife. Considering the possible presence of the parasite in wildlife species and the popularity of South African game meat, in a ‘One Health context’, the consumption of undercooked game meat by people could represent a public health issue. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii and any genotypes in impala from the Greater Kruger region destined for game meat. Methods Serum and seven different tissue samples were collected from 138 impala ( Aepyceros melampus ) from the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was determined using the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT). The presence of T. gondii DNA within the impala tissues and possible tissue tropism were determined using a quantitative PCR (qPCR). For strong qPCR-positive samples, T. gondii DNA was genotyped using a panel of 15 microsatellite markers. Results The seroprevalence was determined to be 8.7%. The qPCR identified T. gondii DNA in at least one tissue type of 7.2% of the impala. The T. gondii DNA was detected in the brain and tongue samples from two impala respectively, and were genotyped as belonging to the Africa 4 lineage. To place the two genotypes identified in this study within the broader context of the genetic diversity of T. gondii in Africa, a genetic tree was constructed using all African strains genotyped with 15 microsatellite markers. Conclusion These results shed light on serological versus molecular techniques in determining infection of T. gondii in impala, and also point to possible tissue tropism during infection. The results identify Africa 4 strains circulating in South African wildlife intended for human consumption, and the importance of genotype and phenotype characterisation to assess the potential public health risks.
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BibTeX
@article{bruin2026molecular,
title = {{Molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in impala (Aepyceros melampus) from the Greater Kruger in South Africa: Detection of the Africa 4 lineage}},
author = {Madeli de Bruin and Shanzelle Rabé and Okuhle Sekujika and Karine Passebosc-Faure and Virginie Rougeron and Almero Bosch and Pierre Dorny and Isabelle Villena and Kenneth Hammond-Aryee and Paul van Helden and Monika Esser and Aurélien Mercier and Luis Neves and Franck Prugnolle and Darshana Morar-Leather},
journal = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014475},
url = {https://unilim.hal.science/hal-05742582v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in impala (Aepyceros melampus) from the Greater Kruger in South Africa: Detection of the Africa 4 lineage
AU - Madeli de Bruin
AU - Shanzelle Rabé
AU - Okuhle Sekujika
AU - Karine Passebosc-Faure
AU - Virginie Rougeron
AU - Almero Bosch
AU - Pierre Dorny
AU - Isabelle Villena
AU - Kenneth Hammond-Aryee
AU - Paul van Helden
AU - Monika Esser
AU - Aurélien Mercier
AU - Luis Neves
AU - Franck Prugnolle
AU - Darshana Morar-Leather
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/09
JO - PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014475
UR - https://unilim.hal.science/hal-05742582v1
AB - Background Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a widespread zoonotic disease. Despite the clinical significance of this zoonotic parasite, little is known regarding its prevalence in South Africa, particularly in wildlife. Considering the possible presence of the parasite in wildlife species and the popularity of South African game meat, in a ‘One Health context’, the consumption of undercooked game meat by people could represent a public health issue. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii and any genotypes in impala from the Greater Kruger region destined for game meat. Methods Serum and seven different tissue samples were collected from 138 impala ( Aepyceros melampus ) from the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was determined using the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT). The presence of T. gondii DNA within the impala tissues and possible tissue tropism were determined using a quantitative PCR (qPCR). For strong qPCR-positive samples, T. gondii DNA was genotyped using a panel of 15 microsatellite markers. Results The seroprevalence was determined to be 8.7%. The qPCR identified T. gondii DNA in at least one tissue type of 7.2% of the impala. The T. gondii DNA was detected in the brain and tongue samples from two impala respectively, and were genotyped as belonging to the Africa 4 lineage. To place the two genotypes identified in this study within the broader context of the genetic diversity of T. gondii in Africa, a genetic tree was constructed using all African strains genotyped with 15 microsatellite markers. Conclusion These results shed light on serological versus molecular techniques in determining infection of T. gondii in impala, and also point to possible tissue tropism during infection. The results identify Africa 4 strains circulating in South African wildlife intended for human consumption, and the importance of genotype and phenotype characterisation to assess the potential public health risks.
SN - 1935-2727
SN - 1935-2735
ER -