title: Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in stray and household dogs in Guangzhou, China.
abstract: The frequency of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in stray and household dogs in Guangzhou, China was examined by ELISA on serum samples from 150 animals (36 strays and 114 from households) and the overall prevalence was 21.3%. The extent of infection in stray dogs (33.3%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in household dogs (17.5%). Infection in male and female dogs of both groups was not significantly different (P >or= 0.05), i.e., 31.8% versus 35.7% for male and female in stray dogs, and 14.5% versus 22.2% in household dogs. The results of the present investigation indicate that the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in dogs was high in Guangzhou, especially in strays. Therefore, it is essential to implement integrated strategies to prevent and control T. gondii infection in both stray and household dogs.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dong-Hui
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yi-Zhou
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Rui-Qing
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Zi-Guo
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Hui-Qun
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Shou-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan