title: Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii in captive Neotropical felids from Southern Brazil.
abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is the causative intracellular protozoan of toxoplasmosis in human being and animals. Members of the Felidae family are considered the single definitive host for the infection; both wild and domestic cats are able to excrete oocysts in the environment. Wild cats maintained in captivity may serve as source of infection for other clinically susceptible animals in the same environment. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of T. gondii IgG antibodies in 57 neotropical felids (1 Leopardus geoffroyi; 3 Puma yagouaroundi; 17 Leopardus wiedii; 22 Leopardus tigrinus; and 14 Leopardus pardalis) kept at the Bela Vista Biological Sanctuary, Itaipu Binacional, Southern Brazil, by the modified agglutination test (MAT) using titer 16 as cut-off point. Seropositivity was observed in 38/57 (66.67%; 95% CI 53.66-77.51%) samples, with higher frequency in ocelots (71.43%). Wild-caught felids were three times more likely to be infected when compared to zoo-born animals (P<or=0.05) and age of wild-caught animals (P=0.6892; 95% CI=0.7528-1.66) was not significant as a risk factor for the infection, the same occurring with zoo-born animals (P=0.05; 95% CI=0.6267-24.052). These results suggest that, despite efforts to control T. gondii infection in zoo facilities, such as individual pens, hygiene monitoring, veterinary care and pre-frozen meat offered as food, non-domestic felids kept in captivity, particularly the wild-caught specimens, may be invariably exposed to infection due to other environmental sources.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Higiene Veterinaria e Saude Publica, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia, Universidade do Estado de Sao Paulo, Botucatu, 18618-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leila Sabrina
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ullmann
authors.forename: Rodrigo Costa
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Wanderlei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Moraes
authors.forename: Zalmir Silvino
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Cubas
authors.forename: Leonilda Correia
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: Juliano Leônidas
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Nei
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Ana Marcia Sa
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Guimaraes
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montaño
authors.forename: Helio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Langoni
authors.forename: Alexander Welker
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Biondo
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D045989:Felidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan