Detecting Toxoplasma gondii in the Giant African snail (Lissachatina fulica) in O’ahu, Hawai’i

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Olivia Stogner, Christopher A. Lepczyk and Sarah Zohdy, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, Kenneth A. Hayes, Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI

Background/Question/Methods
Toxoplasmosis is a globally distributed disease caused by the parasitic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii and can have severe negative impacts on humans and a wide variety of wildlife species, such as New World monkeys and marine mammals. Felids are the only definitive host for T. gondii and, once infected, shed infectious oocysts of the protozoan through their feces into the environment. Previous research has demonstrated that marine snails can ingest and carry T. gondii oocysts throughout the marine environment, but detection of oocysts in land snails has not been explored. Many ecosystems have been invaded by several species of non-native land snails and are also home to wildlife that are fatally impacted by Toxoplasmosis. If land snails can carry T. gondii oocysts, it’s possible they could increase the chance of Toxoplasmosis infection among humans and wildlife. To determine if land snails can ingest and carry T. gondii oocysts, we collected fecal samples from 160 Lissachatina fulica from three feral cat congregation sites in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. We extracted DNA from a portion of each fecal sample and used nested PCR to detect presence/absence of T. gondii DNA, by targeting the 529-bp repeat fragment. We will use genetic sequencing to confirm that the amplified loci of positive samples belong to T. gondii. We will also use light microscopy on the remaining feces of confirmed samples to determine if T. gondii oocysts are present.
Results/Conclusions
We completed the nested PCR process for half of the fecal samples and are preparing the remaining fecal samples for nested PCR. All positive samples will then be genetically sequenced and, if confirmed to be positive, prepared for light microscopy. Confirmation of T. gondii in land snail feces would indicate a possible understudied pathway for Toxoplasmosis infection among humans and animals and leads to further questions about the role of land snails in Toxoplasmosis transmission. Confirmation could also have implications on non-native species control and its importance in managing the spread of Toxoplasmosis. Other invasive species, besides the natural host of a disease, might be a factor to consider when working to control Toxoplasmosis transmission.