Abstract
An investigation was made into the occurrence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii, Leishmania infantum and Neospora caninum in 151 domestic cats, based on the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Serum samples were collected from 151 domestic cats (65 free-roaming and 86 domiciled cats; 55 males and 96 females) in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil between January and April 2013. IgG antibodies to T. gondii, L. infantum and N. caninum were found, respectively, in 49 (32.5%), 34 (22.5%) and 10 (6.6%) sampled cats. A positive correlation was found between T. gondii and N. caninum, T. gondii and L. infantum, and N. caninum and L. infantum (p <0.05) infections. Also, a significant interaction was identified between gender and area of activity on the probability of T. gondii (p = 0.0324) infection. However, no significant interaction was observed between gender and area of activity on infections by either N. caninum or L. infantum. This study showed that cats from an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil are exposed to three different protozoans, two of which are causal agents of important zoonosis.
Highlights
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are apicomplexan intracellular protozoal parasites that affect a wide range of animal species, including humans (DUBEY, 1986; DUBEY et al, 1988)
Five cats (3.3%) showed Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to T. gondii, N. caninum and L. infantum
This study revealed the occurrence of L. infantum antibodies in 6.6% of the sampled cats, which is higher than that found in previous studies conducted in another areas endemic for leishmaniasis in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, where seroprevalence ranging from 0.5 to 4.64% has been reported, using the same serological technique (IFAT) and cut-off (≥ 40) (SOBRINHO et al, 2012; CARDIA et al, 2013; BRESCIANI et al, 2010)
Summary
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are apicomplexan intracellular protozoal parasites that affect a wide range of animal species, including humans (DUBEY, 1986; DUBEY et al, 1988). Both organisms cause serious reproductive diseases as well as economic losses, mainly in ruminants (DUBEY et al, 1988; MASALA et al, 2003). Felines play an important role in the epidemiology of T. gondii, because they are the only animal group that excrete resistant oocysts into the environment (LINDSAY et al, 1997). There a few reports about the seroprevalence of N. caninum in cats (DUBEY et al, 2002; BRESCIANI et al, 2007; BRAGA et al, 2012)
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