title: Sero-epidemiology of equine toxoplasmosis using a latex agglutination test in the three metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan.
abstract: Toxoplasmosis is a serious threat for livestock in addition to being of zoonotic significance. In this study, serodiagnosis of equine toxoplasmosis was conducted in a randomly selected population from the 3 metropolises of Punjab, Pakistan. To this end, 272 draught equines were screened using a commercial latex agglutination assay kit. Association of probable risk factors of equine toxoplasmosis was also documented. A total of 91 (33.5%) equines were found sero-positive for Toxoplama (T.) gondii having antibody titers ranging between 1:32 to 1:612. The highest rates of seropositive cases were observed in donkeys (58.7%) followed by mules (28.6%) and horses (23.5%). Age, sex and species of draught equines were found not to be statistically (p>0.05) associated with the distribution of T. gondii antibodies. The results of the study provided a baseline data for the exposure of equine population in this area. In addition, it is recommended that the contiguous population of domestic ruminants and possible reservoirs such as feral cats should be screened in order to explore the potential risk for the human population in Pakistan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saqib
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sajid
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mansoor
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Asi
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Post Code 111, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: A A K
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fadya
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zohaib
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: A U R
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Sial
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ullah
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D002415:Cats; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D018397:Equidae; D005260:Female; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan