Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii from Rats (Raitus rattus) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

.Toxoplasma 3 main clonal lineages are designated as type I, Cand III; however, atypical and mixed genotypes were also reported. This study was conducted for detection of Toxoplasma gondii genotypes in rats (Rattus rattus) in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. PCR test on T gondii B1 gene was conducted on ELISA IgM positive samples for confirmation of the infection. However, genetic analysis of the SAG2 locus was performed to determine T gondii genotypes using PCR-RFLP technique. PCR test on T gondii B1 gene showed that 22 (81.5%) out of the 27 ELISA IgM positive samples have T gondii DNA. Genotypic analysis shows that, of the total 22 PCR positive samples, only 13 (59.1%) were of type II, 7 (31.8%) were of type III, and 2 (9.1%) were of an unknown genotype. It is obvious that the prevalence of both type II and III is high in rats. No reports have been available on T gondii genotypes among rats in Riyadh region, and only little is known about its seroprevalence in rats. Future studies on T gondii genotypes in rats using multi-locus markers is needed in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia for better understanding of T gondii pathogenesis and treatment in humans and animals.