title: Occurrence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in meat and dairy goat herds in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
abstract: Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which is the main causative agent of abortion in small ruminants. Goats are among the animals that are most susceptible to this protozoon, and the disease that it causes leads to significant economic losses and has implications for public health, since presence of the parasite in products of goat origin is one of the main sources of human infection. Because of the significant economic impact, there is an urgent need to study the prevalence of T. gondii infection among goats in Sertão do Cabugi, which is the largest goat-producing region in Rio Grande do Norte. In the present study, the ELISA assay was used to test 244 serum samples from nine farms, located in four different municipalities in the Sertão do Cabugi region, which is an important goat-rearing region. The results showed that the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was 47.1% and that there was a significant association between positivity and the variables of age (≥ 34 months), location (Lajes, Angicos and Afonso Bezerra) and farm (all the farms). The avidity test was applied to all the 115 ELISA-positive samples to distinguish between acute and chronic infection. One hundred and three samples (89.6%) displayed high-avidity antibodies, thus indicating that most of the animals presented chronic infection, with a consequent great impact on the development of the goat production system and a risk to human health.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andréa Dantas de
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Milena de Medeiros Clementino
authors.initials: Mde M
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences - ICB, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Wagner de Almeida
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Vítor
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Valter Ferreira de
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Andrade-Neto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006041:Goats / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan