A group of Portuguese researchers, members of the SafeConsume consortium, propose a new method for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts based on rabbit polyclonal antibodies developed against a specific antigen that can be found in the outer layer of the parasite oocyst wall. The method belongs to the immunofluorescence category and is described together with the biomarker in a scientific paper which is entitled “rTgOWP1-f, a specific biomarker for Toxoplasma gondii oocysts”.
The authorship of the scientific paper belongs to Cláudia S. Marques, André Almeida, Lurdes Delgado, Susana Sousa (LAQV,REQUIMTE), António Castro and José Manuel Correia da Costa, all from the Centre for the Study of Animal Science (CECA), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal and Antónia Conceição from oimbra Polytechnic PT, Bencanta, Coimbra,Portugal.
The paper is published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research open access journal publishing original research from across all areas of the natural and clinical sciences. Scientific Reports, which is the 11th most cited journal in the world, has a 5-year Impact Factor of 4.525.
We recommend this article to all involved in the detection of T. gondii in water and food. Please follow the link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64590-4
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