Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic and wild guinea pigs (Cavia spp.) from the Marangani district in Cuzco, Peru

Toxoplasmosis is a foodborne disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, and transmitted to humans by eating raw or undercooked meat, mainly. Poultry, beef, and pork are the main meats consumed in Peru; despite this, guinea pig meat is also widely consumed. For this reason, the objective of this study was to molecularly detect T. gondii in domestic and wild guinea pigs from the Marangani district in Cuzco, Peru, and identify some risk factors associated with this pathogen. DNA was extracted from the brain tissue samples of guinea pigs (30 domestic and 30 wild), and PCR protocols were used to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) region and a 529 bp fragment from the T. gondii genome. T. gondii DNA was detected in 14 (23.3%) guinea pigs. T. gondii frequency was 33.3% in domestic guinea pigs and 13.3% in wild guinea pigs. Our results demonstrated that guinea pigs represent an important source for T. gondii infection in human populations in this locality.