Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle & Manceaux, 1908)

Hollings, Tracey, Jones, Menna, Mooney, Nick & McCallum, Hamish, 2013, Wildlife disease ecology in changing landscapes: Mesopredator release and toxoplasmosis, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 2 (1), pp. 110-118 : 112

2.2. Testing for T. gondii

We tested blood samples for IgG antibodies, the class of antibodies representing the secondary immune response, using a modified agglutination test (MAT) (BioMerieux, France). The addition of beta-mercaptoethanol in the MAT test destroys non-specific IgM antibodies, reducing the risk of false-positive results ( Desmonts and Remington, 1980). MAT testing has been used extensively for detection of exposure to T. gondii in marsupials ( Obendorf et al., 1996; Hartley and English, 2005; Eymann et al., 2006; Parameswaran et al., 2009a), as it does not require a species specific reagent and is highly sensitive. The MAT test has high specificity and there is no evidence for cross-reactivity with related organisms ( Dubey et al., 1995; Dubey, 1997). Samples were tested at three different sera dilutions; 1:16, 1:64, 1:256. A positive reaction was acknowledged if agglutination occurred at a sera dilution of at least 1:64 ( Obendorf et al., 1996; Hartley, 2006). A subsample of blood sera (5%) was retested with the MAT test for verification at the Animal Health Laboratory of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE), Tasmania.