Spatial distribution of soil contaminated with Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in relation to the distribution and use of domestic cat defecation sites on dairy farms.
Little information is available on the relationship between the spatial distribution of zoonotic parasites in soil and the pattern of hosts' faeces deposition at a local scale. In this study, the spatial distribution of soil contaminated by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii was investigated in relation to the distribution and use of the defecation sites of its definitive host, the domestic cat (Felis catus). The study was conducted on six dairy farms with a high number of cats (seven to 30 cats). During regular visits to the farms over a 10month period, the cat population and cat defecation sites (latrines and sites of scattered faeces) on each farm were systematically surveyed. During the last visit, 561 soil samples were collected from defecation sites and random points, and these samples were searched for T. gondii DNA using real-time quantitative PCR. Depending on the farm, T. gondii DNA was detected in 37.7-66.3% of the soil samples. The proportion of contaminated samples at a farm was positively correlated with the rate of new cat latrines replacing former cat latrines, suggesting that inconstancy in use of a latrine by cats affects the distribution of T. gondii in soil. On the farms, known cat defecation sites were significantly more often contaminated than random points, but 25-62.5% of the latter were also found to be contaminated. Lastly, the proportion of positive T. gondii samples in latrines was related to the proximity of the cats' main feeding and resting sites on the farms. This study demonstrates that T. gondii can be widely distributed in farm soil despite the heterogeneous distribution of cat faeces. This supports the hypothesis that farms are hotspot areas for the risk of T. gondii oocyst-induced infection in rural environments.
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France; Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, CERFE, 5 rue de la Héronnière, 08240 Boult-aux-Bois, France. Electronic address: julie.rabeisensimon@gmail.fr.
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Simon
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France.
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Kurdzielewicz
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France.
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Jeanniot
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre National de Référence pour la Toxoplasmose, Hôpital Maison Blanche, 45 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
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Dupuis
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre National de Référence pour la Toxoplasmose, Hôpital Maison Blanche, 45 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
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Marnef
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre National de Référence pour la Toxoplasmose, Hôpital Maison Blanche, 45 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
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Aubert
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Département de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre National de Référence pour la Toxoplasmose, Hôpital Maison Blanche, 45 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
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Villena
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, SFR Cap Santé, EA 3800 PROTAL, UFR Médecine, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51095 Reims cedex, France; Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, CERFE, 5 rue de la Héronnière, 08240 Boult-aux-Bois, France.
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Poulle
D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003612:Dairying; D003672:Defecation; D000072480:Farms; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D033661:Oocysts / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000635:transmission*
D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D012987:Soil
Domestic cat; Faeces distribution; Farms; Oocyst; Soil contamination; Toxoplasma gondii