{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]],"date-time":"2026-03-12T03:46:05Z","timestamp":1773287165947,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,4]],"date-time":"2020-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1607040000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","award":["UIDB\/CVT\/00772\/2020."],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/CVT\/00772\/2020."]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Wildlife plays an important role in the epidemiological cycle of Toxoplasma gondii. The European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) can be a source of infection to wild and domestic hosts, including human beings. Additionally, as an herbivorous animal, the European wild rabbit may also be a sentinel of environmental contamination with T. gondii and, consequently, an indicator of the potential transmission of this parasite. The purpose of the present work was to detect T. gondii DNA in European wild rabbit from central Portugal, as well as the possible implications for public health. Heart and diaphragm samples were obtained from 28 rabbits hunted in central Portugal. Nested PCR separately amplified the 5\u2032 and 3\u2032 ends of the surface antigen 2 (SAG2) gene. T. gondii DNA was detected in 19 out of the 28 sampled animals, resulting in a prevalence of 67.9%. These results show that T. gondii infection occurs in European wild rabbit and therefore may pose a potential risk for humans if consumed as raw or undercooked meat. Measures should be taken in order to prevent infection by this zoonotic parasite and for the conservation of wildlife. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study performed by means of PCR on T. gondii in European wild rabbit meat samples.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms8121926","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,4]],"date-time":"2020-12-04T11:59:00Z","timestamp":1607083140000},"page":"1926","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["PCR Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in European Wild Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from Portugal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Catarina","family":"Coelho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Ci\u00eancia Animal e Veterin\u00e1ria (CECAV), Universidade de Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola Superior Agr\u00e1ria de Viseu, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Viseu, Quinta da Alagoa, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal"},{"name":"Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o e de Tecnologias Agroambientais e Biol\u00f3gicas (CITAB), UTAD, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8588-7071","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Madalena","family":"Vieira-Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Ci\u00eancia Animal e Veterin\u00e1ria (CECAV), Universidade de Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Ci\u00eancias Veterin\u00e1rias, Escola de Ci\u00eancias Agr\u00e1rias e Veterin\u00e1rias, UTAD, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0844-4442","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anabela","family":"Vilares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Doen\u00e7as Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Sa\u00fade Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Jo\u00e3o","family":"Gargat\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Doen\u00e7as Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Sa\u00fade Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manuela","family":"Rodrigues","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Ci\u00eancias Veterin\u00e1rias, Escola de Ci\u00eancias Agr\u00e1rias e Veterin\u00e1rias, UTAD, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lu\u00eds","family":"Cardoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Ci\u00eancia Animal e Veterin\u00e1ria (CECAV), Universidade de Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Ci\u00eancias Veterin\u00e1rias, Escola de Ci\u00eancias Agr\u00e1rias e Veterin\u00e1rias, UTAD, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ana Patr\u00edcia","family":"Lopes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Ci\u00eancia Animal e Veterin\u00e1ria (CECAV), Universidade de Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Ci\u00eancias Veterin\u00e1rias, Escola de Ci\u00eancias Agr\u00e1rias e Veterin\u00e1rias, UTAD, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1186\/1297-9686-26-S1-S167","article-title":"Rabbit and man: Genetic and historic approach","volume":"26","author":"Monnerot","year":"1994","journal-title":"Genet. 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