title: Prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in domestic cats from Mexico City.
abstract: In order to determine the frequency of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies in domestic cats and to identify the possible risk factors, 169 domestic cats from 16 municipalities of Mexico City were studied. Their serum was tested by indirect ELISA and the owners answered a questionnaire about age, gender, litter box hygiene, contact with other cats, housing (indoor, outdoor) and diet. We found 37 (21.8%) seropositive cats to T. gondii with an increase in frequency related to age. Main risk factors were female gender, feeding the pet with raw meat and infrequent cleaning of the litter box. The frequency of T. gondii antibodies found in domestic cats of Mexico City suggests active transmission within an urban environment.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Av. Insurgentes Sur 3700-C, Torre de Investigación, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Besné-Mérida
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Figueroa-Castillo
authors.forename: José Juan
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Martínez-Maya
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luna-Pastén
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calderón-Segura
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Correa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012306:Risk; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*