Isolation and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from a captive black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya Humboldt, 1812) in Brazil

Toxoplasma gondii was isolated in mice from different tissues of a captive black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) kept in a colony at the Primatology Center of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and it was genotypically characterized based on using PCR-RFLP and Microsatellite Analysis (MS), later on. T. gondii was successfully isolated from inocula deriving from heart, liver and tissue pool (heart, liver, lungs, axillary lymph nodes and cerebellum) samples. The isolate was named TgBgHmBrRJ1. The high virulence of the aforementioned strain was observed in infected mice. Non-archetypal genotype (ToxoDB PCR-RFLP #206) was obtained through PCR-RFLP. This genotype had been previously described in 12 isolates from different hosts, also in Southeastern Brazil, a fact that indicates likely high circulation of this genotype in this region. The isolate was also classified as non-archetypal, based on MS genotyping, as well as presented genotypic identity close to that of strains isolated from free-range non-symptomatic chickens (TgCkBr244,245,278,279) in Espírito Santo State. It is worth emphasizing that despite the large number of reports about clinical toxoplasmosis in neotropical primates in Brazil, this is just the second isolate of this parasite ever reported in this group of animals.