Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections and factors associated in goats in the Parana state, Southern Brazil

Paulo Roberto Romanelli,Italmar Teodorico Navarro,Alessandro Pelegrine Minho,Gabriela Anteveli,Tainá Favoreto Sanches,Brenda Caroline Dos Santos Jeanfelice,Andressa Maria Rorato Nascimento De Matos,Juliana Silva De Oliveira,Regina Mitsuka-Breganó,Rafael Luiz Stolf,Roberta Lemos Freire,Fernanda Pinto-Ferreira,Mariana Kassab E Silva,Antônio Cezar Rocha Cavalcante,Eloiza Teles Caldart

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612020076

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Neospora caninum antibodies and their associated factors among goats in farms from the Paraná state, South Brazil. The serological analysis was performed by indirect ELISA on 629 goat serum samples collected from 32 farms distributed in five mesorregions from the state. Seropositivity was observed in 30.7% of the animals for T. gondii, 6.3% for N. caninum, and 3.0% for both agents. Final multiple regression models showed that the use of assisted reproduction decreased the chance of seropositivity for T. gondii (PR=0.70) and the slaughtering site on the farm (PR=2.03) increased it. To N. caninum, the supplying concentrated feed to animals (OR=4.80) and animal pre-weaning death (OR=9.96) increased the chance of seropositivity. The variables associated with these seropositivities suggest deficiencies in sanitation and reproductive management. In addition, it recognizes critical points of infection for animal production management.

Highlights

The national goat herd was estimated at 9,614,722 million heads (IBGE, 2014)
The present study aimed to evaluate the seropositivity of T. gondii and N. caninum and the factors associated with their positivity in Paraná state, Brazil
The estimated prevalence were based on the study by Fortes et al (2017), in which T. gondii was estimated to have a prevalence of 33.3%, and an error of 4%, resulting in a sample size of 533 animals, and the study by Figliuolo et al (2004), who estimated a prevalence of 6.4% and an error of 2% for N. caninum, resulting in a sample size of 575 animals

Summary

Introduction

The national goat herd was estimated at 9,614,722 million heads (IBGE, 2014). According to the register of herds of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply, Paraná accounts for 1.6% of the national goat population, ranking eighth in the nation, with approximately 115,718 thousand heads (Paraná, 2019), demonstrating the importance of goat farming in the state. To the direct damage caused by T. gondii, such as miscarriages and stillbirths, they can be major sources of infection to humans, through the consumption of raw or under cooked meat, raw milk, and its by-products (Dubey et al, 2014). Another parasite that can cause reproductive problems is Neospora caninum, first described in 2004 by Figliuolo et al (2004) that reported the prevalence of 6.4% in goat herds in the state of São Paulo. The various serologic studies in Brazilian goats’ herds, the reproductive impairment caused by N. caninum is still scarce evaluated (Braz et al, 2018)

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