Risk factors for the presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in Norwegian slaughter lambs.
In a study of lambs from 194 sheep flocks from different areas of Norway, 44.3% of the flocks were found seropositive against Toxoplasma gondii using an ELISA test, with antibodies found in 16.2% of the 1940 individual animals. The risk factors for the occurrence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii found in the multivariate logistic regression were: daily presence of a young cat in the sheep house (Odds ratio, OR = 4.11, 95% CI = 1.01-19.7); 'atypical' grazing of lambs (OR = 6.35, CI = 2.36-17.11); use of mouse poison in the sheep house (OR = 2.26, CI = 1.02-5.00); farm situated at an altitude > 100 meters above seal level (101-250 m: OR = 1.20, CI = 0.49-2.92; 251-500 m: OR = 4.97; CI = 2.04-12.0; > 500 m: OR = 3.66, CI = 1.33-10.1). A lower risk was found for flocks with perforated metal floors in the sheep house (OR = 0.47, CI = 0.23-0.96) and timber construction of the sheep house (OR = 0.34, CI = 0.15-0.80). Based on these findings it was recommended that farmers avoid keeping young cats in the sheep houses, that close-to-farm grazing be kept to a minimum and that perforated metal floors be used in the sheep houses. However, with such a high seroprevalence, the proposed measures alone would not reduce the occurrence of Toxoplasma in lambs to a level where undercooked lamb can be consumed without posing an unacceptable risk for some consumer groups.
Skjerve
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Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Microbiology and Food Hygiene, Oslo, Norway.
Waldeland
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H
Nesbakken
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T
Kapperud
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G
D000531:Altitude; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D002415:Cats; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016015:Logistic Models; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012378:Rodenticides; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D012378:Rodenticides