ABSTRACT Caprine abortion is a major constraint to small ruminant production, with Toxoplasma gondii recognized as an important zoonotic abortifacient. The present study investigated the serological and molecular occurrence of T. gondii in goats with a history of abortion in Kerala, India. Serological analysis was performed on 90 goats, including animals with a history of abortion and a subset of goats with active abortion, while molecular screening was carried out on 25 goats presented with active abortion. Serum samples were screened for anti- T. gondii antibodies using indirect ELISA, while DNA samples extracted from blood and aborted samples were subjected to PCR targeting the B1 gene. Representative PCR-positive samples were subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Serological analysis revealed a high percentage of T. gondii -positive samples (82.2%; 74/90), indicating widespread exposure to T. gondii . Molecular detection showed no amplification in blood samples; however, 28.0% (7/25) of aborted samples were PCR-positive, confirming the presence of T. gondii DNA in abortion cases. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of representative isolates confirmed species identity and revealed clustering with globally reported sequences, indicating genetic diversity among circulating T. gondii isolates. The findings highlight widespread exposure to T. gondii and support its potential involvement in caprine abortion under field conditions. The study also emphasizes that aborted samples are more reliable than blood for molecular detection. These results underscore the importance of integrated serological and molecular approaches for accurate diagnosis and warrant further large-scale studies to elucidate the epidemiological and pathogenic role of T. gondii in caprine abortion.
Neha et al. (Mon,) studied this question.