title: Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection diagnosed by PCR in farmed red foxes, arctic foxes and raccoon dogs.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare Toxoplasma gondii infection in three canid species: red fox Vulpes vulpes, arctic fox Vulpes lagopus and raccoon dog Nyctereutesprocyonoides kept at the same farm. Anal swabs were taken from 24 adult and 10 juvenile red foxes, 12 adult arctic foxes, three adult and seven juvenile raccoon dogs. Additionally, muscle samples were taken from 10 juvenile red foxes. PCR was used to detect T. gondii DNA. T. gondii infection was not detected in any of the arctic foxes; 60% ofraccoon dogs were infected; the prevalence of the parasite in material from red fox swabs was intermediate between the prevalence observed in arctic foxes and raccoon dogs. It is possible that susceptibility and immune response to the parasite differ between the three investigated canid species. T. gondii DNA was detected in muscle tissue of five young foxes. The results of this study suggest that T. gondii infection is not rare in farmed canids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71 C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin Tadeusz
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Górecki
authors.forename: Mariola
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galbas
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szwed
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Przysiecki
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dullin
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nowicki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005589:Foxes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D046031:Raccoon Dogs; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers