Les infections par Toxoplasma Gondii chez les mammifères marins échoués sur les côtes françaises et roumaines

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii infections in stranded marine mammals in France and Romania. Marine mammals are major sentinel species for the research concerning contamination of marine environment by terrestrial pathogens and are early warnings for the emergence or resurgence of infectious diseases. Protozoal parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. and the helminth parasites Trichinella spp. can infect many species of marine mammals worldwide. T. gondii and Trichinella spp. zoonotic infections are a matter of concern for human health, because consumption of marine mammal meat is frequent in some regions of the world. Extensive seroprevalence investigations have been made in some parts of the world, showing a high presence of T. gondii infections in marine animals, yet little is known about it in France and Romania. This study indicates the exposure of cetaceans and pinnipeds from France and Romania to T. gondii and should be pursued by large-scale studies. This is the first report on the detection of T. gondii antibodies in cetaceans and seals in France and Romania and the first identification of T. gondii in a sperm whale.