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The collection
Description
The strains of Toxoplasma gondii are obtained by mouse inoculation, or cell culture, from samples of either human (cases of congenital toxoplasmosis, immunocompromised hosts or acquired toxoplasmosis), or animal origin. The collection is constituted by the stocks of strains (tachyzoites or cysts) preserved in liquid nitrogen, and by the aliquots of DNA extracts, frozen to –80°C, corresponding to these strains.
Typing of Toxoplasma gondii strains
The genetic characterization is performed with a high resolution method, based on the length polymorphism of 15 microsatellites markers.
References :
1. AJZENBERG D, BANULS AL, SU C, DUMETRE A, CARME B, DEMAR M, DARDÉ ML. Genetic diversity, clonality and sexuality in Toxoplasma gondii. International Journal for Parasitology 2004, 34 : 1185-96. PubMed : 15380690
2. DARDÉ ML. Genetic analysis of the diversity in Toxoplasma gondii. Ann Istituto Superiore di Sanita 2004, 40 : 57-63. PubMed : 15269453
3. Ajzenberg D, Dumètre D, DARDÉ ML. Multiplex PCR for strain typing of Toxoplasma gondii. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2005, 43: 1940-43 PubMed : 15815026
4. BLACKSTON CR, DUBEY JP, DOTSON E, et al. High-resolution typing of Toxoplasma gondii using microsatellite loci. J Parsitol 2001;87:1472-5 PubMed : 11780841
5. AJZENBERG D, COLLINET F, MERCIER A, VIGNOLES P, DARDÉ ML. Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates with 15 microsatellite markers in a single multiplex PCR assay. J Clin Microbiol. 2010 Dec;48(12):4641-5. Epub 2010 Sep 29. PubMed : 20881166 ; PubMed Central : PMC3008440.
Conservation
The storage of the strains in liquid nitrogen assure an optimum conservation. To preserve the collection, frozen aliquots of tachyzoites and/or bradyzoites are stored in a double location in similar containers at Reims and at Limoges.
Quality controls
All cell cultures are checked for Mycoplasma.
Before storage, genetic identification is verified for each stock of strain by microsatellite analysis.