Name: Punsantsogvoo Myagmarsuren
Affiliation: NRCPD,Research Unit for Innovative Medicine
Position: Foreign Visiting Researcher
Term: May 2022 – August 2022
Host researcher: Prof. Yoshifumi Nishikawa (English /Japanese)
Circumstances of application:
- Animal protozoan diseases are severely epidemic in Mongolia, causing chronic diseases in livestock. Toxoplasmosis is a particularly less studied issue, as a majority of the cattle, sheep and goat has been newer surveyed by ELISA. My study is focusing for sero- surveillance on ELISA in horse and PCR diagnosis on some species of wild animal’s DNA samples. My work is also attempting to genotyping the positive case of the parasite by B1 gene. Based on previous molecular survey of the wild definitive host, we have been detected are several positive case, therefore we need to conduct more research on the topic. Joint-research for these topics offered at NCRPD for foreign researchers, as well as we have long time history of cooperation.
- I was former JICA pare of Advanced Research Course on Control of Zoonosis for Food Safety which hosted in this research center in 2009-2010. Also I was research team member in SATREPS project titled “Epidemiological Studies on Animal Protozoan Diseases in Mongolia and Development of Effective Diagnostics Measures (2013-2018)” which is implemented in OUAVM and IVM.
- NRCPD has high degree of knowledge and skills of professors and staffs. These professors have open to cooperate on protozoan disease related issues.
- Members of IVM is attempting to cooperate with well-established institution like NRCPD with intention of counter measuring protozoan diseases.
Research activity in NRCPD:
I have three objectives of the research here:
1) The study of DNA vaccine against toxoplasmosis in mice model
2) Sera-surveillance of T. gondii in horse in Mongolia.
3) Molecular analysis for detection of T. gondii in wild animals in Mongolia.
First research topic, we have joint research named that “Development of vaccine and drug against Toxoplasma gondii” with National research center for protozoan diseases (NRCPD) and Institute of veterinary medicine (IVM). I studied newly, to recovery and make stock of cells for cell culture maintenance. We did experimental infection to mice using 2 (RH and ME49) kind of strain of T. gondii for cultivation of parasite from in vivo to in vitro and extracting the new isolation. It will be useful for transferring the cell maintaining system to IVM.
In the second study, Infection with T. gondii in domestic equids has been reported in many countries. Horses are most commonly infected by ingestion of sporulated oocysts found in feces of infected cats. In Mongolia, there is a lack of information on infection of T. gondii in horses. In the present study, to elucidate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in horses in central area of Mongolia, we evaluated the using recombinant GRA7 protein for in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), detection of specific antibodies against T. gondii in horses. It is currently unknown what causes some infected horses to develop the serious neurological signs and abortion is occurring so, we should distinguish the cross reaction with other same clinical signs infectious diseases such as toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, sarcocystes and equine herpervirus. We need to distinguishing for diagnosis with near clinical signs of infectious diseases.
I have improved in the present study, to elucidate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in horses in central area of Mongolia, we evaluated the using recombinant GRA7 protein for in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), detection of specific antibodies against T. gondii in horses.
In the third study, we performed molecular screening for T. gondii strains from wild animals in Mongolia. Blood, hearts, musculus and brains were collected from 16 wild animals (5 snow leopard, 5 pallas cats (wild cat), 2 wolf, 2 fox, an antelope and a wild boar. We would like to analyze B1 gene of specific fragment of T. gondii on wild animals.
Future prospects:
- Now, we are transferring standard strains of T. gondii and Vero cell HFF from NRCPD to IVM. In future, we are going to working on these strains and cells will allow us to extend our study and improve our research expertise with cell culture.
- Also we are planning to use their strains for challenging candidate vaccine in small ruminant of Mongolia. We need to compare these standard strains and native wild type strain, which will be isolated in near future.
- We are going to epidemiologic study on horse samples in order to establish distribution map of provinces of Mongolia.
While I working these topics in Mongolia, I face some difficulties such as lack of facility and valuable advice of other researchers. Currently, prevalence of toxoplasmosis was high. Therefore, we need effective vaccine in order to reduce the high prevalence of the disease. During this time being as foreign researcher, I gained a lot of new research idea and valuable experience. NRCPD and other branch of OUAVM often organized special lectures that covers interesting and important topics. These special lectures help me to obtain knowledge about modern day science and research progress all over the world.
My research would have not been completed without great help and support from my supervisor Prof. Yoshifumi Nishikawa, Also I wish to express my gratitude to him.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the professors of NRCPD for allowing me as foreign researcher at this center for the support of my research.
My sincere thanks also goes to Prof. Naoaki Yokoyama, who provided good lab facility in fulfillment of OIE rule.