Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among Sylvatic Rodents in Poland

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular Apicomplexan parasite with a broad range of intermediate hosts, including humans and rodents. Rodents are considered to be reservoirs of infection for their predators, including cats, felids, pigs, and wild boars. We conducted a multi-site, long-term study on T....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Maciej Grzybek, Daniela Antolová, Katarzyna Tołkacz, Mohammed Alsarraf, Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk, Joanna Nowicka, Jerzy Paleolog, Beata Biernat, Jerzy M. Behnke, Anna Bajer
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021
Subjects:
Toxoplasma gondii
rodents
seromonitoring
rodent-borne diseases
prevention
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Zoology
QL1-991
Microtus arvalis
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041048
https://doaj.org/article/fdf02988ce0a42f080de2c3581601581
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Summary:Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular Apicomplexan parasite with a broad range of intermediate hosts, including humans and rodents. Rodents are considered to be reservoirs of infection for their predators, including cats, felids, pigs, and wild boars. We conducted a multi-site, long-term study on T. gondii in northeastern Poland. The study aimed to monitor the seroprevalence of T. gondii in the four abundant vole species found in the region ( Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus agrestis , and Alexandromys oeconomus ) and to assess the influence of both extrinsic (year of study and study site) and intrinsic (host sex and host age) factors on seroprevalence. A bespoke enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect antibodies against T. gondii . We examined 577 rodent individuals and detected T. gondii antibodies in the sera of all four rodent species with an overall seroprevalence of 5.5% [4.2–7.3] (3.6% [2.6–4.9] for M. glareolus and 20% [12–30.9] for M. arvalis , M. agrestis , and A. oeconomus ). Seroprevalence in bank voles varied significantly between host age and sex. Seroprevalence increased with host age and was higher in females than males. These results contribute to our understanding of the distribution and abundance of T. gondii in voles in Poland and confirm that T. gondii also circulates in M. glareolus and M. arvalis , M. agrestis and A. oeconomus . Therefore, they may potentially play a role as reservoirs of this parasite in the sylvatic environment.

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