Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in zoo and domestic animals in Jiangxi Province, China

• Published in: Parasite
• Main Authors: Luo Houqiang, Li Kun, Zhang Hui, Gan Ping, Shahzad Muhammad, Wu Xiaoxing, Lan Yanfang, Wang Jiaxiang
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2017
• Subjects: Toxoplasma gondii; Zoo animals; Domestic animals; Prevalence; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Giganteus; Canis lupus; Cygnus columbianus; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2017007; https://doaj.org/article/643901215a9247dcae4b5c7b7597a6b7

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects a wide range of warm-blooded animals throughout the world. In the present study, antibodies to T. gondii were determined using a commercial indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test in wild animals in a zoo. Three of 11 giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) (27%), 1 of 5 wolves (Canis lupus laniger) (20%), 1 of 6 hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibious) (17%), and 2 of 9 tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) (22%) were found to be positive. No antibodies were detected in leopards (Panthera pardus), wild geese (Anser cygnoides), and Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). Domestic species from 13 counties of Jiangxi Province, China were also investigated by an indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test. Thirty-five of 340 goats (10%), 94 of 560 water buffaloes (17%), and 4 of 35 cattle (11%) were found to be seropositive. This is the first report of T. gondii infection in animals kept in zoos and domestic animals in this province.