Detection of toxoplasma gondii oocysts in contaminated soils using polymerase chain reaction analysis in Duhok city Iraq

Abstract EN

Background : the impact of the acquisition of Toxoplasmosis from the environment through ingestion of oocyst from the soil, food, or water contamination remains worrisome worldwide.

objective : this study aimed to apply the molecular method for the detection of the occurrence of Toxoplasma oocysts by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from different soil samples in Duhok province, Kurdistan region of Iraq.

materials and methods : in this study, the occurrence of soil contamination with Toxoplasma gondii oocysts was recorded in different Duhok city’s areas by collecting 144 soil samples from different places.

results : only seven samples (4.86%) were identified as T.

gondii oocysts using microscopical identification and confirmed at the molecular level via PCR analysis using a fragment of 122 bp as a target of B1 gene.

no significant difference was observed among soil types; parks showed the highest percentage 2.77%, followed by playgrounds (1.38%), whereas rubbish dumps accounted for 0.96%.

conclusion : the current study showed, a low percentage of T.

gondii oocysts are recorded in soil samples as compared with other studies worldwide, but there is still the risk of infection among people who ramble at these places remains, especially among children who play with soil at these places.