title: Antibody Prevalence and Isolation of Viable Toxoplasma gondii from Raptors in the Southeastern USA.
abstract: Raptors are good indicators of the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in the environment because they prey on small mammals and birds. These prey species are a major source of infection in domestic cats ( Felis catus ), which shed the environmentally resistant oocysts. We assessed T. gondii infection in 281 opportunistically available raptors at a rehabilitation facility between 2012 and 2014. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by a modified agglutination test (cutoff 1:25) and found in serum of 22/71 Red-tailed Hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis ), 25/54 Barred Owls ( Strix varia ), 9/41 Red-shouldered Hawks ( Buteo lineatus ), 13/28 Great Horned Owls ( Bubo virginianus ), 6/20 Broad-winged Hawks ( Buteo platypterus ), 2/16 Eastern Screech Owls (Megascops asio), 12/13 Bald Eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ), 6/12 Cooper's Hawks ( Accipiter cooperii ), 1/8 Black Vultures ( Coragyps atratus ), and 1/1 Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ). Antibodies were not detected in 5 Barn Owls ( Tyto alba ), 3 American Kestrels ( Falco sparverius ), 1 Mississippi Kite ( Ictinia mississippiensis ), and 1 Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ). Viable T. gondii was isolated from the tissues of 1 antibody-positive Barred Owl and identified as a strain having type II alleles at all 10 loci tested, except one (ToxoDB polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism genotype 3). Type II strain is the most common strain in the US. Results of this study indicate a high prevalence of T. gondii in some raptor species and the first reported genotyping from a Barred Owl.
authors.affiliation: 1 The Wilds Conservation Center, 14000 International Road, Cumberland, Ohio 43732, USA;
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Love
authors.affiliation: 2 Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA;
authors.forename: Oliver C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.affiliation: 2 Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA;
authors.forename: Shiv Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: 2 Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA;
authors.forename: Jitender P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Clinical Sciences, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, 1220 Wire Road, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA;
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellah
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D015995:Prevalence; D020304:Raptors / Q000097:blood*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D015144:Southeastern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014122:Toxoplasma; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan
keywords: Genotype; Toxoplasma gondii; isolation; raptor; serology; type II