EPIZOOTOLOGICAL SITUATION ON TOXOPLASMOSIS AMONG LIVESTOCK ANIMALS IN THE TAVUSH REGION OF ARMENIA

Toxoplasmosis occupies one of the first places in the world among all foodborne parasitic diseases, since it is recorded on all continents and can affect many species of mammals and birds. The causative agent of toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii, is the obligate zoonotic parasite that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The main sources of infection are soil contaminated with cat feces, poorly thermally processed meat, and transplacental route of transmission. There is scanty data available in Armenia to assess the role of livestock animals as a source of alimentary toxoplasmosis in humans. In this regard, the purpose of this work was to conduct a pilot study on the identification of seroprevalence in some livestock animals using the Tavush Region of Armenia as an example. An ELISA was used to screen 241 samples for the detection of total T. gondii antibodies in blood serum. As a result, 42 (17.4%) of all tested samples reacted positively including 23 (39%) samples from small cattle, 4 (28.6%) from pigs, and 15 (8.9%) from cattle. Thus, our data correlate with the data of a number of foreign authors with the prevailing proportion of seropositive sheep and pigs. To obtain a complete picture of toxoplasmosis among livestock animals, research in this direction should be continued.