title: Use of filter papers to determine seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among hunted ungulates in remote Peruvian Amazon.
abstract: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, and it is found worldwide. To determine whether ungulates are reservoirs of T. gondii in an isolated and remote region of the northeastern Peruvian Amazon, antibodies to T. gondii were determined in 5 species of ungulates by the modified agglutination test (MAT). These animals were hunted by subsistence hunters along the Yavarí-Mirín River, in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon. Blood samples were collected by hunters on filter papers. For determination of T. gondii antibodies, blood was eluted from filter papers, and a titer of 1:25 was considered indicative of exposure to T. gondii. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 26 (31.0%) peccaries (Pecari tajacu, Tayassu pecari), six (17.1%) brocket deer (Mazama americana, Mazama gouazoubira), and four (40.0%) lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris). We also introduced a modification to the MAT protocol that allows the extraction of fluid samples from several types of laboratory-grade filter paper, thus enabling researchers to easily adapt their approaches to the materials presented to them.
authors.affiliation: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, S2-009 Schurman Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States ; National Service of Agrarian Health (SENASA), Av. La Molina N° 1915, Lima 12, La Molina, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Emily J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Aston
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayor
authors.affiliation: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Vet Medical Center, Room C4-119, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States.
authors.forename: Dwight D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.affiliation: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, S1-070 Schurman Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States.
authors.forename: Hussni O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.affiliation: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Vet Medical Center, Room C4-119, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States.
authors.forename: Janice L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Liotta
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Bldg 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705, United States.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Bldg 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705, United States.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
keywords: Brocket deer (Mazama americana, Mazama gouazoubira); Filter paper; Lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris); Modified agglutination test; Peccary (Pecari tajacu, Tayassu pecari); Toxoplasma gondii