Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in captive neotropical and exotic wild canids and felids.
This study was designed to detect antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in wild captive carnivores maintained in Brazilian zoos. Blood samples were collected from 142 Brazilian wild felids and 19 exotic felids in zoos, and 3 European wolves (Canis lupus) and 94 Brazilian wild canids maintained in captivity in Brazilian zoos of São Paulo, Mato Grosso states and Federal District. One hundred and two (63.4%) and 70 (50.3%) of the 161 wild felids tested were seropositive for T. gondii and N. caninum by indirect immunofluorescent assay test (IFAT), respectively. Among sampled wild canids, 49 (50.5%) and 40 (41.2%) animals were seropositive for T. gondii and N. caninum antigens by IFAT, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first serological detection of antibodies to N. caninum in Brazilian wild captive felids and bush dogs (Speothos venaticus (Lund)).
Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, Zona Rural, CEP: 14884-900, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil.
M R
MR
André
C H
CH
Adania
R H F
RH
Teixeira
K F
KF
Silva
M M G
MM
Jusi
S T Z
ST
Machado
C P
CP
de Bortolli
M
M
Falcade
L
L
Sousa
S M
SM
Alegretti
P A N
PA
Felippe
R Z
RZ
Machado
D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo / Q000469:parasitology*; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D046028:Canidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D045989:Felidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000662:veterinary; D018688:Neospora / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan