Risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and cattle from Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil

Fernando Jorge Rodrigues Magalhães,José Wilton Pinheiro Júnior,Wagnner José Nascimento Porto,Rinaldo Aparecido Mota,Müller Ribeiro-Andrade,Maria José de Sena,Adrianne Mota de Alcântara,Rafael Felipe da Costa Vieira

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612016051

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease of global distribution that affects all warm-blooded animals. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection and identify the risk factors associated with its occurrence in domestic ruminants raised on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, and to confirm that cattle and sheep raised in Fernando de Noronha Island present statistically different T. gondii prevalence rates. Serum samples were collected from sheep (n=240) and cattle (n=140) for the detection of antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. Samples were collected from all the animals on all the farms. Risk factors were analyzed by univariate analysis and logistic regression. The prevalence rate of positive sheep was 85.0% while that of cattle was 10.7%. A multivariate analysis revealed that the site of contact of sheep with felines was a risk factor. For cattle, the risk factors identified in this study were: extensive farming system, water source, more than three cats per farm, and the presence of rats in feed storage locations. The findings revealed a significant difference in the prevalence rates in sheep and cattle raised in this insular environment.

Highlights

Materials and MethodsThe island of Fernando de Noronha (state of Pernambuco, Brazil) is located in the South Atlantic
Materials and MethodsThe island of Fernando de Noronha is located in the South Atlantic
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection and identify the risk factors associated with its occurrence in domestic ruminants raised on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, and to confirm that cattle and sheep raised in Fernando de Noronha Island present statistically different T. gondii prevalence rates

Summary

Materials and Methods

The island of Fernando de Noronha (state of Pernambuco, Brazil) is located in the South Atlantic. The purpose of this study was to study the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and cattle and to identify risk factors associated with infection by T. gondii in domestic ruminants raised on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, as well as to confirm that, they live in the same environment, these ruminants present different levels of infection. The procedures in this experiment were approved by the Ethics Committee for Animal Use (CEUA) of the Federal University of Pernambuco under protocol number 004/2016, and are in accordance with the current guidelines of the Brazilian College of Animal Experimentation (COBEA). The georeferenced data were entered into the ArcGIS 10.2 software program using the Kernel intensity estimator, which is a non-parametric technique that enables the variability of a set of data to be filtered, retaining the essential local characteristics of the data (BAILEY & GATRELL, 1995)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion