Molecular Genetics of Parasitic Protozoa

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 1385

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Genetics and Hereditary Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania.
Interests: Toxoplasma gondii; animals; immunology; epidemiology; molecular genetics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic protozoa are significant zoonotic agents, many of which are recognized as One Health concerns due to their ability to infect both humans and animals. Species such as Toxoplasma gondiiPlasmodium spp., Leishmania spp., and Trypanosoma spp. cause severe diseases worldwide, posing major public health challenges. A deeper understanding of their molecular genetics is essential to uncover transmission routes, population dynamics, drug resistance, and phylogenetic evolution. All warm-blooded animals, including birds, livestock, and wildlife, play essential roles in parasite life cycles and may serve as significant sources of human infection, especially through the consumption of contaminated or undercooked meat. Recent advances in genomics and molecular tools offer new opportunities for improved diagnosis, control strategies, and vaccine development. 

This Special Issue welcomes original research and reviews focusing on molecular genetics, immunology, epidemiology, and evolutionary studies of parasitic protozoa, aiming to advance our knowledge and support effective prevention and management of protozoan diseases.

Dr. Paştiu Anamaria Ioana
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • molecular genetics
  • parasitic protozoa
  • zoonosis
  • One Health

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 558 KB  
Article
Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Domestic Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Romania
by Anamaria Ioana Paștiu, Anca-Alexandra Doboși, Adriana Györke, Isabelle Villena, Mihai Borzan and Dana Liana Pusta
Biomolecules 2026, 16(4), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040522 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1012
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with high zoonotic potential. Currently, no information is available on natural toxoplasmosis in domestic rabbits in Romania; therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies and to determine [...] Read more.
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with high zoonotic potential. Currently, no information is available on natural toxoplasmosis in domestic rabbits in Romania; therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies and to determine the prevalence of T. gondii DNA in domestic rabbits in our country. In total, 372 domestic rabbits were tested. Blood samples were obtained from 352 animals and tissue samples were obtained from 49 animals, of which 29 animals provided paired blood–tissue samples. Samples were collected from pet rabbits and from rabbits raised in household settings, hereafter referred to as farm rabbits. Sera samples were analyzed using a modified agglutination test (MAT), with a cut-off of 1:24, for anti-T. gondii antibody IgG-type detection, and the tissue specimens were tested by nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) targeting the B1 gene for T. gondii DNA detection. A seropositivity of 16.5% (58/352) was obtained by MAT, while the prevalence of T. gondii DNA was 4.1% (2/49). The present study highlighted the presence of T. gondii in domestic rabbits in Romania, which suggests that rabbit meat consumption may represent a potential risk to human health and therefore warrants further attention. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report data on the prevalence of T. gondii in domestic rabbits from Romania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Genetics of Parasitic Protozoa)
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