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Characterization of the zoonotic potential of Toxoplasma gondii in horses from Rio de Janeiro State

2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 171; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.03.036

1873-6254

Sabrina Silva Venturi, Andressa Ferreira da Silva, Edwards Frazão-Teixeira, Francisco Carlos Rodrigues de Oliveira, Angélica Consalter, Felipe Gomes Ferreira Padilha, Ana Beatriz Monteiro Fonseca, Ana Maria Reis Ferreira,

Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments

The aim of this study was to perform a survey on the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in horses from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. From 2012 to 2013, a total of 624 blood samples were collected from horses from the eight regions comprising Rio de Janeiro State (Baixadas Litorâneas, Serrana, Norte Fluminense, Noroeste Fluminense, Centro-Sul, Metropolitana, Médio Paraíba, and Costa Verde). All sera samples were tested for anti-T. gondii antibodies by performing the modified agglutination test with a cut-off of 1:25. Positive serology for T. gondii was detected in 22.8% (142/624) of the horses studied. Seropositivity was detected in all regions sampled; furthermore, statistical significance was observed when all locations were compared at once. The Médio Paraíba region had the highest number of positive animals 54.76% (23/42) in the Bonferroni correction among Costa Verde, Centro Sul, Metropolitana, and Serrana (p<0.001). Seropositivity was 39.58% (38/96) in Norte Fluminense, which was the second most prevalent region. The results indicated that the T. gondii parasite is widely distributed in horses in Rio de Janeiro State and represents a risk to public and animal health. These findings emphasize the need to increase control and prevention of this disease in horses.