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Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in outdoor dogs and cats in Bangkok, Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2021

Ana Huertas-López Open the ORCID record for Ana Huertas-López [Opens in a new window] ,
Woraporn Sukhumavasi ,
Gema Álvarez-García Open the ORCID record for Gema Álvarez-García [Opens in a new window] ,
Silvia Martínez-Subiela ,
David Cano-Terriza Open the ORCID record for David Cano-Terriza [Opens in a new window] ,
Sonia Almería ,
Jitender P. Dubey Open the ORCID record for Jitender P. Dubey [Opens in a new window] ,
Ignacio García-Bocanegra Open the ORCID record for Ignacio García-Bocanegra [Opens in a new window] ,
José Joaquín Cerón  and
Carlos Martínez-Carrasco
Ana Huertas-López
Affiliation:
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Interlab-UMU, University of Murcia, 30100Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
Woraporn Sukhumavasi
Affiliation:
Parasitology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, 10330Bangkok, Thailand Feline Infectious Disease and Health for Excellence Research Unit, Microbial Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit, Animal Vector-Borne Disease Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, 10330Bangkok, Thailand
Gema Álvarez-García
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040Madrid, Spain
Silvia Martínez-Subiela
Affiliation:
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Interlab-UMU, University of Murcia, 30100Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
David Cano-Terriza
Affiliation:
Animal Health and Zoonosis Research Group (GISAZ), Department of Animal Health, University of Córdoba, 14014Córdoba, Spain
Sonia Almería
Affiliation:
Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN), Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment (OARSA), Division of Virulence Assessment, Laurel, USA
Jitender P. Dubey
Affiliation:
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland20705-2350, USA
Ignacio García-Bocanegra*
Affiliation:
Animal Health and Zoonosis Research Group (GISAZ), Department of Animal Health, University of Córdoba, 14014Córdoba, Spain
José Joaquín Cerón
Affiliation:
Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Interlab-UMU, University of Murcia, 30100Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
Carlos Martínez-Carrasco
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health, University of Murcia, 30100Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: Ignacio García-Bocanegra, Email: v62garbo@uco.es
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii exposure in dogs and cats from Bangkok, Thailand. Blood samples from 318 dogs and 321 cats were tested for T. gondii antibodies by modified agglutination test (cut-off 1:25). Additionally, 18 dogs and 20 cats were longitudinally sampled for T. gondii antibodies during the same study period, between June and July 2019. The overall seroprevalence in dogs and cats was 7.9% (25/318; 95% CI 4.9–10.8%) and 18.7% (95% CI 14.4–23.0%), respectively. For dogs, risk factors identified were being a mixed-breed animal and living totally outdoors, while increasing age was shown to be a risk factor for cats. Seroconversion was not detected and titres from positive animals remained constant over longitudinal study. The present study indicates that there is a prominent presence of T. gondii in urban and peri-urban areas of Bangkok, suggesting that outdoor dogs and cats should be considered as a possible risk factor for humans.

Keywords

BangkokcatdogMATseroprevalenceToxoplasma gondii
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 148 , Issue 7 , June 2021 , pp. 843 - 849
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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