Toxoplasma gondii from Gabonese forest, Central Africa: First report of an African wild strain

by Lokman Galal, Matthieu Fritz, Pierre Becquart, Karine Passebosc-Faure, Nicolas Plault, Larson Boundenga, Illich Manfred Mombo, Linda Bohou Kombila, Telstar Ndong Mebaley, Léadisaelle Hosanna Lenguiya, Barthélémy Ngoubangoye, Nadine N’Dilimabaka, Franck Prugnolle, Lionel Forestier, Endrias Zewdu Gebremedhin, Eric M. Leroy, Gael Darren Maganga, Aurélien Mercier

The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous and highly prevalent parasite that can theoretically infect all warm-blooded vertebrates. In humans, toxoplasmosis causes infections in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent patients, congenital toxoplasmosis, and ocular lesions. These manifestations have different degrees of severity. Clinical severity is determined by multiple factors, including the genotype of the T. gondii strain involved in the infection. T. gondii exhibits remarkable genetic diversity, which varies according to geography and ecotype (domestic or wild). Previous studies have demonstrated that wild strains of T. gondii are of particular epidemiological interest, as they have been associated with more severe forms of toxoplasmosis in different regions of the world. However, no data on wild strains of T. gondii are available from Africa. In this study, we describe for the first time a wild T. gondii strain from Africa. Wild animals from the forest environment of Gabon, Central Africa, were screened for chronic infection with T. gondii using quantitative PCR. The infecting T. gondii strains were genotyped whenever possible by the analysis of 15 microsatellite markers and by whole-genome sequencing. A new T. gondii genotype was identified in the DNA extract from a heart sample of a duiker (Cephalophus sp.) and was found to be highly divergent from previously described T. gondii populations worldwide, including those from domestic environments in Gabon. This discovery suggests the existence of a wild T. gondii population in Africa. The role of wild T. gondii strains in the incidence of severe toxoplasmosis in Africa remains unclear and requires further investigation.