Seroprevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii exposure in Australian feral and stray cats using an in-house modified agglutination test

IF 2 2区农林科学 Q2 PARASITOLOGY Veterinary parasitology Pub Date : 2024-09-06 DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110306

K.L.D. Tharaka D. Liyanage , Jemima Amery-Gale , Alessandro D. Uboldi , Katherine Adriaanse , Simon M. Firestone , Christopher J. Tonkin , Abdul Jabbar , Jasmin Hufschmid

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Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed zoonotic protist, capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals. In Australia, cats (Felis catus) are the only definitive host capable of spreading T. gondii infection via oocysts. Free-roaming cats are widespread in Australia and can play a central role in the ecology of T. gondii. Therefore, understanding the epidemiology of this parasite in stray and feral cats is essential to understanding the potential risk of infection in animals and humans. Due to a lack of easily accessible commercial kits, an in-house modified agglutination test (MAT) was established to test for IgG antibodies against T. gondii, using cell culture-derived T. gondii tachyzoites, and compared with a commercial MAT. A total of 552 serum samples collected during 2018 – 2021 from stray (n = 456) and feral cats (n = 90) (samples with missing data n = 6) from four Australian states, representing different age groups of both sexes, were screened for antibodies against T. gondii. Risk factors for T. gondii infection were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. The in-house MAT had excellent agreement with the commercial MAT and provided a reliable and economical serological tool for T. gondii screening in animals. The overall observed seroprevalence for T. gondii in cats was 40.4 % (223/552). Bodyweight (as a proxy for age), geographical location, season and whether cats were feral or stray, were factors associated with T. gondii seropositivity in cats. Sex was not found to be a risk factor for T. gondii infection in feral and stray cats. This study shows that Australian stray and feral cats have a high T. gondii seroprevalence, which may translate to significant health impacts for wildlife species, livestock and the public.

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使用内部改良凝集试验检测澳大利亚野猫和流浪猫的弓形虫血清流行率和接触弓形虫的风险因素

弓形虫是一种分布于全球的人畜共患原生动物，能够感染所有温血动物。在澳大利亚，猫（Felis catus）是唯一能够通过卵囊传播弓形虫感染的宿主。自由活动的猫在澳大利亚很普遍，在淋病双球菌的生态学中扮演着核心角色。因此，了解这种寄生虫在流浪猫和野猫中的流行病学对了解动物和人类感染的潜在风险至关重要。由于缺乏容易获得的商业试剂盒，我们建立了一种内部改良凝集试验（MAT），使用细胞培养的淋病双球菌速殖体检测淋病双球菌 IgG 抗体，并与商业 MAT 进行比较。在2018-2021年期间，从澳大利亚四个州的流浪猫（n = 456）和野猫（n = 90）（数据缺失的样本 n = 6）中共收集了552份血清样本，这些样本代表了不同年龄段的男女猫，对其进行了淋病双球菌抗体筛查。使用多变量逻辑回归分析评估了感染淋病的风险因素。内部 MAT 与商业 MAT 的一致性极佳，为动物的淋病筛查提供了可靠而经济的血清学工具。在猫中观察到的淋病双球菌血清阳性率为 40.4 %（223/552）。体重（代表年龄）、地理位置、季节以及猫是野猫还是流浪猫都是与猫的淋病双球菌血清阳性相关的因素。性别不是野猫和流浪猫感染淋球菌的风险因素。这项研究表明，澳大利亚流浪猫和野猫的淋病双球菌血清阳性率很高，这可能会对野生动物、牲畜和公众的健康产生重大影响。

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来源期刊

Veterinary parasitology 农林科学-寄生虫学

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

126

审稿时长

36 days

期刊介绍： The journal Veterinary Parasitology has an open access mirror journal,Veterinary Parasitology: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review. This journal is concerned with those aspects of helminthology, protozoology and entomology which are of interest to animal health investigators, veterinary practitioners and others with a special interest in parasitology. Papers of the highest quality dealing with all aspects of disease prevention, pathology, treatment, epidemiology, and control of parasites in all domesticated animals, fall within the scope of the journal. Papers of geographically limited (local) interest which are not of interest to an international audience will not be accepted. Authors who submit papers based on local data will need to indicate why their paper is relevant to a broader readership. Parasitological studies on laboratory animals fall within the scope of the journal only if they provide a reasonably close model of a disease of domestic animals. Additionally the journal will consider papers relating to wildlife species where they may act as disease reservoirs to domestic animals, or as a zoonotic reservoir. Case studies considered to be unique or of specific interest to the journal, will also be considered on occasions at the Editors'' discretion. Papers dealing exclusively with the taxonomy of parasites do not fall within the scope of the journal.