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Dual congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona in a late-term aborted pup from a chronically infected southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2015

KAREN SHAPIRO Open the ORCID record for KAREN SHAPIRO [Opens in a new window] ,
MELISSA A. MILLER ,
ANDREA E. PACKHAM ,
BEATRIZ AGUILAR ,
PATRICIA A. CONRAD ,
ELIZABETH VANWORMER  and
MICHAEL J. MURRAY
KAREN SHAPIRO*
Affiliation:
Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA One Health Institute, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA
MELISSA A. MILLER
Affiliation:
One Health Institute, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, 1451 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz California 95060, USA
ANDREA E. PACKHAM
Affiliation:
Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA
BEATRIZ AGUILAR
Affiliation:
Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA
PATRICIA A. CONRAD
Affiliation:
Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA One Health Institute, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA
ELIZABETH VANWORMER
Affiliation:
One Health Institute, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA
MICHAEL J. MURRAY
Affiliation:
Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey California 93940, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, 4206 VM3A, One Shields Ave, Davis California 95616, USA. E-mail: kshapiro@ucdavis.edu
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Summary

Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona are protozoan parasites with terrestrial definitive hosts, and both pathogens can cause fatal disease in a wide range of marine animals. Close monitoring of threatened southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) in California allowed for the diagnosis of dual transplacental transmission of T. gondii and S. neurona in a wild female otter that was chronically infected with both parasites. Congenital infection resulted in late-term abortion due to disseminated toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii and S. neurona DNA was amplified from placental tissue culture, as well as from fetal lung tissue. Molecular characterization of T. gondii revealed a Type X genotype in isolates derived from placenta and fetal brain, as well as in all tested fetal organs (brain, lung, spleen, liver and thymus). This report provides the first evidence for transplacental transmission of T. gondii in a chronically infected wild sea otter, and the first molecular and immunohistochemical confirmation of concurrent transplacental transmission of T. gondii and S. neurona in any species. Repeated fetal and/or neonatal losses in the sea otter dam also suggested that T. gondii has the potential to reduce fecundity in chronically infected marine mammals through parasite recrudescence and repeated fetal infection.

Keywords

Toxoplasma gondiiSarcocystis neuronasea ottercongenital transmissiontransmammary transmissionabortion
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 143 , Issue 3 , March 2016 , pp. 276 - 288
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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