Evaluation of an immunoblotting test based on whole tachyzoite lysate for diagnosis of humoral response of domestic cats infected with Toxoplasma gondii, Rh strain

 This study was aimed to detect anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in cats infected with Rh strain of T. gondii by using an immunoblotting method. For this, cats were experimentally infected using tachyzoites harvested from Vero cell cultures. Tachyzoites were then lysed and transferred to polyacrylamide gels followed by blotting to PVDF membranes. An immunoblotting was performed using these membranes to detect IgG antibodies. Protein bands were detected in regions related to the presence of T. gondii surface antigens, dense granular or rhoptry proteins. No positive bands were detected in serum samples of kittens that received only Vero cell lysates (controls). Positive or negative results were in concordance to the results of IFAT. The results of this study revealed that whole tachyzoite antigen based immunoblotting is an appropriate diagnostic test for serological detection of anti-T. gondii antibodies in recently infected kittens with this Apicomplexan parasite.