Comparison of Toxoplasma gondii Seroprevalence in Shelter Cats and Dogs during 1999-2001 and 2009-2011 in Tokyo, Japan.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Oi M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4540423 | biostudies-other | 2015
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is a cosmopolitan protozoon parasite, and the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, one of the most prevalent zoonotic parasitic diseases. Cats, as definitive hosts, spread the parasite via their faeces, but this occurs only for a very short period in their life. Seropositivity in cats, although not associated with current shedding of the parasite, is indicative of the infection in a cat population and can be used to assess the infection risk for definitive and intermediate hosts in that area. In order to assess the prevalence of infection in cats living in Cyprus, 155 cats, originating from all districts of the country, were examined for the presence of T. gondii antibodies. Additionally, parameters such as age, sex, health status, lifestyle and concomitant infections were statistically assessed as potential risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity. Specific anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected in 50 (32.3%) cats, while the presence of feline immunodeficiency virus antibodies and a history of never having been vaccinated were statistically associated with T. gondii seropositivity on multivariate logistic regression analysis. This is the first report of T. gondii seroprevalence in cats in Cyprus and indicates that raised public awareness should be considered to prevent infection of animals and humans.
| S-EPMC8308511 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundToxoplasma gondii infects almost all warm-blooded animals, and cats play a crucial role in the epidemiology of T. gondii as the definitive host. Despite sporadic reports on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in domestic cats, systematic surveys are lacking and some regions remain in China uninvestigated.MethodsA total of 1,521 serum samples were collected from 10 regions of China and analyzed by antibodies against T. gondii by ELISA with the purpose of identifying risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats across China and obtaining seroprevalence data from some previously uninvestigated areas.ResultsAntibodies to T. gondii were detected in 62 of 1,478 (4.2%) urban pet cats and in 9 of 43 (20.9%) stray cats. Among the regions examined, the prevalence was 13% in Sichuan, 12.8% in Chongqing, 6.4% in Hunan, 2.5% in Hubei and 0.9% in Guangdong. Additionally, this is the first report on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in urban pet cats from Qinghai (6.2%), Anhui (3.1%), Jiangxi (2.5%), Shaanxi (2.4%) and Ningxia (1.6%). The age and lifestyle (stray or pet) of cats were identified as the risk factors for seropositivity by multivariate analysis of the data.ConclusionsOur findings improve our understanding of seroprevalence and risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats across China, and provide useful information for the formulating of preventive and control measures against this widespread zoonotic parasite.
| S-EPMC9434894 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is globally distributed, with considerable local variation in prevalence based on behavioral and environmental factors. To assess prevalence and estimate risk in Mali, we conducted a survey of 760 serum samples previously collected for malaria studies. A modified agglutination test detected antibodies in ?27% of the adult population, with no significant differences between men and women, or between urban and rural study sites. In the village of Kolle, seroprevalence rose from 0% in infants (<1 yr, but after weaning of maternal immunoglobulin G) to 0.8% (1-5 yr), 2.7% (6-10), 11.3% (11-15), and 26.8% (>15); differences between the <10-, 11-15-, and >15-yr age groups were highly significant (P ? 0.01). We also observed an increase in anti- T. gondii antibody titers with age. Modeling the observed age distribution suggests a seroconversion rate of ?1%/yr, indicating that congenital toxoplasmosis may be an under-appreciated public health concern in Mali.
| S-EPMC6810635 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic parasite that is relevant for veterinary and public health. The domestic cat, the definitive host species with the largest worldwide population, has become evolutionarily and epidemiologically the most important host of T. gondii. The outcome of T. gondii infection is influenced by congenital and acquired host characteristics. We detected differences in T. gondii seroprevalence by cat breed in our previous studies. The aims of this study were to estimate T. gondii seroprevalence in selected domestic cat breeds, and to evaluate whether being of a certain breed is associated with T. gondii seropositivity, when the age and lifestyle of the cat are taken into account. The studied breeds were the Birman, British Shorthair, Burmese, Korat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Persian, and Siamese. Plasma samples were analyzed for the presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies against T. gondii with a commercial direct agglutination test at dilution 1:40. The samples were accompanied by owner-completed questionnaires that provided background data on the cats. Overall, 41.12% of the 1121 cats tested seropositive, and the seroprevalence increased with age. The Burmese had the lowest seroprevalence (18.82%) and the Persian had the highest (60.00%). According to the final multivariable logistic regression model, the odds to test seropositive were four to seven times higher in Birmans, Ocicats, Norwegian Forest Cats, and Persians when compared with the Burmese, while older age and receiving raw meat were also risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity. This study showed that T. gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed and identified being of certain breeds, older age, and receiving raw meat as risk factors for seropositivity.
| S-EPMC5590984 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Felids play an important role in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to humans and other animals since they can excrete millions of oocysts into the environment as definitive hosts. In the present study, seroprevalence and risk factors of feline Toxoplasma infection were investigated, and molecular identification was conducted for T. gondii oocysts isolated from faecal samples of seropositive cats. A total of 276 cat serum samples collected from the Yangon, Myanmar were tested for T. gondii antibodies by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was 41.30% (114 seropositive cats). Age between 1 and 6 years (OR = 3.284; 95% CI = 1.462-7.375), age > 6 years (OR = 4.560; 95% CI = 1.588-13.100) and sex (OR = 1.725; 95% CI = 1.026-2.899) were found to be significant (P < 0.05) factors associated with T. gondii infection. DNA samples extracted from a single oocyst of seropositive cats were employed in three PCR assays amplifying parasite TOX-element and mitochondrial COI, and SAG2 locus. The obtained sequences of TOX-elements (n = 6) and COI (n = 5) were identical to those of T. gondii previously deposited in Genbank. SAG2 PCR yielded three different sequences, all of which were clustered with Type I T. gondii isolates in a phylogenetic tree. This study reported the seroprevalence and risk factors for T. gondii infection in cats and provided the molecular information on the parasite in Myanmar.
| S-EPMC7502821 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is a cyst-forming apicomplexan parasite of virtually all warm-blooded species, with all true cats (Felidae) as definitive hosts. It is the etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis, a disease causing substantial public health burden worldwide. Few intercontinental clonal lineages represent the large majority of isolates worldwide. Little is known about the evolutionary forces driving the success of these lineages, the timing and the mechanisms of their global dispersal. In this study, we analyse a set of 156 genomes and we provide estimates of T. gondii mutation rate and generation time. We elucidate how the evolution of T. gondii populations is intimately linked to the major events that have punctuated the recent history of cats. We show that a unique haplotype, whose length represents only 0.16% of the whole T. gondii genome, is common to all intercontinental lineages and hybrid populations derived from these lineages. This haplotype has accompanied wildcats (Felis silvestris) during their emergence from the wild to domestic settlements, their dispersal in the Old World, and their expansion in the last five centuries to the Americas. The selection of this haplotype is most parsimoniously explained by its role in sexual reproduction of T. gondii in domestic cats.
| S-EPMC9526699 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and thyroid disease has been poorly studied. Therefore, we sought to determine the association between T. gondii seropositivity and thyroid dysfunction. METHODS:We performed an age- and gender-matched case-control study of 176 patients suffering from hypothyroidism (n = 161) or hyperthyroidism (n = 15) and 528 control subjects without these diseases in a public hospital in Durango City, Mexico. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were determined in sera from cases and controls using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay. RESULTS:Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 11 (6.3%) of 176 patients suffering from thyroid dysfunction and in 48 (9.1%) of 528 control subjects (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.33-1.31; P = 0.23). Stratification by two groups of age (50 years and younger, and 51 year and older) showed that the youngest group of patients with thyroid dysfunction had a significantly lower seroprevalence of T. gondii infection than its age- and gender-matched control group (1/83: 1.2% vs 23/257: 8.6%; OR = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.01-0.93; P = 0.01). This stratification also showed that the youngest group of patients with hypothyroidism had a significantly lower seroprevalence of T. gondii infection than its age- and gender matched control group (0/75: 0% vs 21/233: 9.0%; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest that thyroid dysfunction is not associated with seropositivity to T. gondii in general; however, in young (50 years or less) patients, a negative association between infection and thyroid dysfunction and hypothyroidism was found. Further research to confirm this negative association is needed.
| S-EPMC6751844 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundCongenital toxoplasmosis is a severe, life-altering disease in the United States. A recently developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) distinguishes Toxoplasma gondii parasite types (II and not exclusively II [NE-II]) by detecting antibodies in human sera that recognize allelic peptide motifs of distinct parasite types.MethodsELISA determined parasite serotype for 193 congenitally infected infants and their mothers in the National Collaborative Chicago-based Congenital Toxoplasmosis Study (NCCCTS), 1981-2009. Associations of parasite serotype with demographics, manifestations at birth, and effects of treatment were determined.ResultsSerotypes II and NE-II occurred in the United States with similar proportions during 3 decades. For persons diagnosed before or at birth and treated in infancy, and persons diagnosed after 1 year of age who missed treatment in infancy, proportions were similar (P = .91). NE-II serotype was more common in hot, humid regions (P = .02) but was also present in other regions. NE-II serotype was associated with rural residence (P < .01), lower socioeconomic status (P < .001), and Hispanic ethnicity (P < .001). Prematurity (P = .03) and severe disease at birth (P < .01) were associated with NE-II serotype. Treatment with lower and higher doses of pyrimethamine with sulfadizine improved outcomes relative to those outcomes of persons in the literature who did not receive such treatment.ConclusionsType II and NE-II parasites cause congenital toxoplasmosis in North America. NE-II serotype was more prevalent in certain demographics and associated with prematurity and severe disease at birth. Both type II and NE-II infections improved with treatment.Clinical trials registrationNCT00004317.
| S-EPMC3348955 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAcute toxoplasmosis may lead to congenital toxoplasmosis with fetal complications outcome during pregnancy. Anti- Toxoplasma gondii antibody seroprevalence is unclear in pregnant women of south of Khuzestan province, since limited data about T. gondii seroepidemiology has been published in pregnant women of this area (Abadan, Shadegan, Khoramshar).ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to clarify the status of T. gondii seroprevalence in pregnant women of south of Khuzestan province.Materials and methodsIn this cross-sectional study, 501 full-term pregnant women were included. This study was carried out in Taleghani teaching hospital for six 6 months from May to October 2011. Informed consents signed by the patients were obtained. Blood IgG and IgM were measured using ELISA technique. The data was analyzed by SPSS 13 (Chicago, IL, USA). Chi-square test was used for comparison.ResultsThe participants' age range was 15 to 45 years (average: 27.4 ± 13). Of the 501 pregnant women, 70.65 % (n = 354) were seronegative for T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies. There were statistical relationships between IgG seroprevalence and age, as well as IgG seroprevalence and cat holding.ConclusionsThere was high percentage of seronegative (70.65 %) IgG and IgM antibodies in full-term pregnant women. They were susceptible to acute toxoplasmosis; thus, prenatal screening was recommend in our province after cost-beneficial analyses.
| S-EPMC4138635 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Cats as a definitive host have an important role in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of Toxoplasma gondii infection and isolate and identify the genotypes of T. gondii in stray cats in the Mashhad suburb. METHODS:From April 2016 to August 2017, 175 fecal samples from stray cats and 31 brain samples from cats killed in driving accidents were collected. The fecal samples were examined by fecal flotation technique and T. gondii-specific PCR. The brain samples were investigated by T. gondii-specific PCR and consequently examined by mice bioassay. The DNA of T. gondii isolated was genotyped using SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB and GRA6 as PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) markers. RESULTS:In the present study, Toxoplasma-like oocysts were microscopically observed in 2.2% (4/175) fecal samples. The presence of Toxoplasma oocysts was confirmed in one microscopy-positive sample by PCR. In addition, T. gondii DNA was detected in 4% (7/175) microscopy-negative samples using PCR. T. gondii was isolated from one brain PCR-positive sample by mice bioassay. The isolate was avirulent and many T. gondii cysts were observed in mice brain. The isolate was successfully genotyped by PCR-RLFP analysis. The isolated genotyped was type II. Besides, eight Toxoplasma-positive fecal samples contained insufficient DNA and only amplified at SAG-3 locus in PCR. These samples were also showed type II pattern at this locus. CONCLUSIONS:Parasitological and molecular results showed low frequency of Toxoplasma infection in the stray cats, and identified the genotype of T. gondii isolate as type II, for the first time in Mashhad area, Khorasan Razavi Province.
| S-EPMC6925478 | biostudies-literature