The incidence and productive significance of ovine toxoplasmosis in Southern Brazil

Abstract

This research aimed to determine incidence of Toxoplama gondii infection in Corriedale sheep in southern Brazil during pregnancy and the extent of associated losses. Blood samples were collected from 411 Corriedale sheep in two flocks at different locations in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Presence of T. gondii was diagnosed by the Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Technique (IFAT RESUMO Este trabalho tem como objetivo determinar a incidência da infecção pelo T. gondii em ovinos, durante o período gestacional e a extensão das perdas associadas. Amostras de sangue foram coletadas de 411 ovelhas Corriedale em dois rebanhos, em diferentes locais do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Presença de T. gondii foi diagnosticada pela técnica de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI). A soroprevalência no pré-acasalamento foi de 20,2%, sem diferença significativa entre os dois rebanhos estudados. A infecção por T. gondii foi influenciada pela idade (P ≤0,05). A soroprevalência no pré-acasalamento não influenciou a taxa de retorno ao estro e a taxa de prenhez. Taxa de desmame foi significativamente maior nas ovelhas positivas na pré-cobertura em comparação com as negativas (87,9 e 74,1%, respectivamente -P<0,05

Epidemiological Investigation of Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Commercial Sheep Flock in an Endemic Area for Ocular Toxoplasmosis in Southern Brazil

“…Between August and October 2016, a cross-sectional study was carried out in 319 randomly selected sheep, females and males, from one to 11 years old, from 14 rural properties in Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (Table 1). The software EpiInfo 7.1.5 [5] was used to determine the minimum number (n) of samples required using 20.2% as expected prevalence [24], a margin of error of 5%, 95% confidence interval and using the total population of 327,828 sheep in the studied region, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics [18].…”

“…Rio Grande do Sul state is the biggest producer of sheep in Brazil [18] and these animals are used for the production of meat, milk and genetic material. A research on the occurrence of the disease in sheep from another mesoregion of this state suggested a production decrease equivalent to 1.87% per year, with decreased number of lambs per ewe [24]. These numbers warn on the necessity to monitor the infection and to find means to improve production efficiency [24].…”

“…A research on the occurrence of the disease in sheep from another mesoregion of this state suggested a production decrease equivalent to 1.87% per year, with decreased number of lambs per ewe [24]. These numbers warn on the necessity to monitor the infection and to find means to improve production efficiency [24].…”

Molecular Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Sheep Aborted Fetuses Reveals Predominance of Type I Infection in Southwest of Iran

“…Previous studies in different areas of the world have shown that T. gondii could appear as a life-threatening zoonotic parasite of fetuses of sheep, causing considerable economic losses ( 1 ). For example, the costs of congenital human toxoplasmosis in the UK and annual loss for ovine toxoplasmosis in Brazil have been estimated at $1.2–12 and $1.491 million respectively ( 5 , 6 ). The prevalence rate of toxoplasmosis in aborted fetuses in different areas of the World have been reported to be 23.1% in Spain, 18.1 % in Italy, 17.5% in the USA, and 10.6% in Germany ( 7 – 10 ).…”