Toxoplasmosis in prey species and consequences for prevalence in feral cats: not all prey species are equal.

• Published in: Parasitology
• Main Authors: Afonso, E., Thulliez, P., Pontier, D., Gilot-Fromont, Emmanuelle
• Other Authors: Protozooses Transmises par l'Alimentation (Cryptosporidiose, Giardose et Toxoplasmose) : Mode de Contamination et Pathogénie (PROTAL) - EA 3800 (PROTAL), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Rouen Normandie (UNIROUEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-SFR CAP Santé (Champagne-Ardenne Picardie Santé), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)-Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV), Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), IPP Laboratoire de la Toxoplasmose, Institut de Puériculture et Périnatalogie, Ecoépidémiologie évolutionniste, Département écologie évolutive LBBE, Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Biodémographie évolutive
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2007
• Subjects: Toxoplasma gondii; epidemiology; feral cat; diet; sub-Antarctic environment; MESH: Aging; MESH: Animals; MESH: Lagomorpha; MESH: Male; MESH: Predatory Behavior; MESH: Prevalence; MESH: Rodentia; MESH: Seroepidemiologic Studies; MESH: Species Specificity; MESH: Toxoplasmosis; Animal; MESH: Antibodies; Protozoan; MESH: Body Weight; MESH: Cat Diseases; MESH: Cats; MESH: Diet; MESH: Ecosystem; MESH: Female; MESH: Immunoglobulin G; [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment; Antarctic; Kerguelen; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00373507; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182007003320

International audience Toxoplasma gondii is largely transmitted to definitive felid hosts through predation. Not all prey species represent identical risks of infection for cats because of differences in prey susceptibility, exposure and/or lifespan. Previously published studies have shown that prevalence in rodent and lagomorph species is positively correlated with body mass. We tested the hypothesis that different prey species have different infection risks by comparing infection dynamics of feral cats at 4 sites in the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen archipelago which differed in prey availability. Cats were trapped from 1994 to 2004 and anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were detected using the modified agglutination test (> or =1:40). Overall seroprevalence was 51.09%. Antibody prevalence differed between sites, depending on diet and also on sex, after taking into account the effect of age. Males were more often infected than females and the difference between the sexes tended to be more pronounced in the site where more prey species were available. A difference in predation efficiency between male and female cats may explain this result. Overall, our results suggest that the composition of prey items in cat diet influences the risk of T. gondii infection. Prey compositon should therefore be considered important in any understanding of infection dynamics of T. gondii.