Table 1 Background and isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from cheetahs
Samples | Samples received date | Age (in years), sex | Clinical symptoms | Autopsy and pathological findings | Formalin fixed tissues | Toxoplasma gondii PCR-positive tissue | MAT | Mice bioassayc | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Swiss | IFN-γ−/− | ||||||||
Case 1a | Apr 20, 2017 | ≥ 13, female | Anorexia; discharge of dark red thick fluid from the vagina. After the surgical removal of the uterus, the cheetah is alive. | Acute catarrhal endometritis. | Uterus | nd | ≥ 1:200b | nd | nd |
Case 2 | May 22, 2017 | 17, male | Shortness of breath; limb spasm; 39.4 °C; and died the next day. | Pulmonary congestion; spleen atrophy; and abundant lipofuscin deposition in hepatocytes. | Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, intestines | Striated muscle digestive fluid | ≥ 1:200b | 0/5 | nd |
Case 3 (TgCheetahCHn1) | Dec 20, 2020 | 4, male | Weight loss; vomiting; and trembling. Renal failure (confirmed by biochemical tests), no obvious improvement after therapy, and then died. | Dark yellow liver; pulmonary emphysema; glomerulus atrophy; septic spleen; hepatocyte atrophy; and intestinal necrosis. | Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, intestines, tongue, diaphragm, leg muscles, lymph nodes | Myocardium, liver, spleen, lung, diaphragm, tongue, leg muscle, and striated muscle digestive fluid | 1:25 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
Case 4 (TgCheetahCHn2) | Jan 31, 2021 | 21, male | Anorexia for 10 days, no improvement after antibiotic treatment, and then died. | Pulmonary congestion; gray-green renal pelvis; unclear boundary between the cortex and medulla; interstitial pneumonia; atrophy of spleen, liver, and kidney; renal failure; and atherosclerosis. | Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, skeletal muscles, pancreas | Myocardium, liver, spleen, lung, and striated muscle digestive fluid | 1:400 | 5/5 | 2/2 |
Case 5 | Apr 24, 2021 | Adult, male | No obvious abnormal symptoms and died suddenly. | Hepatomegaly; multifocal yellow-gray nodules in the spleen; intracardial hemorrhage; swollen kidney; congested medulla; pulmonary congestion; acute interstitial pneumonitis; necrotic splenitis; and chronic renal insufficiency. | Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, small intestines, tongue, diaphragm, skeletal muscles, lymph nodes | Negative | 1:100 | 0/5 | nd |
Case 6 | Dec 30, 2021 | 5, male | Dry nose, dehydration, and then died. | Congestive hepatomegaly; endocardial hemorrhage; hard and swollen kidney; chronic atrophic glomerulonephritis; and septic spleen. | Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, intestines, tongue, lymph nodes, pancreas | Negative | 1:50 | 0/4 | 0/1 |