title: Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in raccoons (Procyon lotor) from an urban area of Northern Virginia.
abstract: Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are intermediate hosts for Toxoplasma gondii, and clinical toxoplasmosis in raccoons has been reported. A 2-yr serological survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii in raccoons collected from Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburban/urban area outside Washington, D.C. Serum samples from 256 raccoons were examined for T. gondii antibodies at a 1:50 dilution using the modified direct agglutination test. Results indicated that 216 (84.4%) of the raccoons had been exposed to T. gondii. Our results indicate that raccoons in this area of Virginia are frequently exposed to T. gondii. Domestic cats were common in the study area and may have served as a source of oocysts for raccoons and the food items of raccoons.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 1410 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0342, USA.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hancock
authors.forename: Lori A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Thiele
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zajac
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elvingert
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D011821:Raccoons / Q000469:parasitology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D018881:Suburban Health; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014504:Urban Health; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan