Prevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii in sheep in the State of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil

Prevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii in sheep in the State of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil

The aims of this survey were to determine the flock-level and animal-level prevalences of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sheep in the State of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil, and to identify risk factors. Blood samples were collected from 540 sheep in 63 flocks in 14 municipalities in the Sertão mesoregion. To serologically diagnose T. gondiiinfection, the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was used. Flocks with at least one seropositive animal were considered positive. Among the 63 flocks, 28 (44.44%) were positive, and 60 (11.11%) of the 540 animals were seropositive. Variable flock size > 25 animals was identified as a risk factor (odds ratio = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.09 – 9.34; P = 0.033). The results from this survey demonstrate that T. gondii is spread among sheep in the State of Paraíba.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Correia,Érico Luís de Barros, Feitosa,Thais Ferreira, Santos,Fabrine Alexandre dos, Azevedo,Sérgio Santos de, Pena,Hilda Fátima de Jesus, Gennari,Solange Maria, Mota,Rinaldo Aparecido, Alves,Clebert José
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária 2015
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-29612015000300383
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Summary:The aims of this survey were to determine the flock-level and animal-level prevalences of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sheep in the State of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil, and to identify risk factors. Blood samples were collected from 540 sheep in 63 flocks in 14 municipalities in the Sertão mesoregion. To serologically diagnose T. gondiiinfection, the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was used. Flocks with at least one seropositive animal were considered positive. Among the 63 flocks, 28 (44.44%) were positive, and 60 (11.11%) of the 540 animals were seropositive. Variable flock size > 25 animals was identified as a risk factor (odds ratio = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.09 – 9.34; P = 0.033). The results from this survey demonstrate that T. gondii is spread among sheep in the State of Paraíba.

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