EXPERIMENTAL TOXOPLASMOSIS IN TURKEYS

Fourteen 2-3-wk-old turkeys were inoculated orally with 10(5) or 10(4) infective oocysts of the ME 49 strain of Taxoplasma gondii. Of the 8 turkeys given 10(5) oocysts in experiment 1, 3 died or were killed 12 or 14 days after inoculation (DAI) because of respiratory distress ass ociated with a concomitant Aspergillus-like fungus infection. The rema ining 5 turkeys remained normal and were killed 62 DAI. Toxoplasma gon dii was isolated in mice from the heart of all 5, from the breast musc les of 2, leg muscles of 3, and from the brains and livers of none of the turkeys. All 6 turkeys fed 10(4) oocysts in experiment 2 remained clinically normal until necropsy on 41 DAI; T. gondii was isolated fro m pooled tissues from each turkey. All 14 turkeys developed high antib ody titers to T. gondii in the modified agglutination test (MAT) using formalinized tachyzoites. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIS A) was as sensitive as MAT for detecting T. gondii antibodies in turke y sera. The latex agglutination and indirect hemagglutination tests we re less sensitive than the MAT and ELISA. No dye-test-measurable antib odies were found in sera of any turkey.