title: Occurrence and risk factors associated to Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
abstract: Toxoplasmosis is an important cause of abortion in sheep and a zoonotic risk to humans, leading to significant hazards to health and to economic losses. This study examined the seroprevalence and associated risk factors for infection with Toxoplasma gondii in 379 sheep from 12 flocks in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Using the modified agglutination test (MAT), 202 (53.3 %) of 379 were seropositive with titers of 1:25 in 65, 1:50 in 40, 1:100 in 23, 1:200 in 11, 1:400 in 36, 1:800 in 7, 1:1,600 in 1, and 1:3,200 or higher in 19 sheep. The most significant factors associated with T. gondii seropositivity in sheep were age, gender, and veterinary care. Finding of T. gondii antibodies in 97 of the 202 sheep in titers of 1:100 or higher is indicative of persistently infected animals. This high level of seropositivity requires urgent control measures to reduce impact on animal productivity and public health.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bacteriologia Animal, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil, rjuliboni@outlook.com.
authors.forename: Rachel Ingrid Juliboni
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Cosendey-KezenLeite
authors.forename: Francisco Carlos Rodrigues
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Edwards
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frazão-Teixeira
authors.forename: Jitender Prakash
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.forename: Guilherme Nunes
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Ana Maria Reis
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lilenbaum
mesh_terms: D000034:Abortion, Veterinary; D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan