Toxoplasma gondii in domiciled dogs and cats in urban areas of Brazil: risk factors and spatial distribution

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a highly prevalent zoonotic parasite in Brazil capable of infecting mammals and birds. The increase in the urban populations of pets and the narrowing of the human–animal relationship can facilitate the transmission of important public health zoonoses, such as toxoplasmosis. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and spatial distribution of T. gondii infection and its risk factors in domiciled dogs and cats attended at the Jorge Vaitsman Institute, Rio de Janeiro. Serum samples from 400 dogs and 272 cats were evaluated by an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies. Epidemiological questionnaires were used to interview the animals’ owners to identify risk factors for infection. Of the total, 34% (136/400) of dogs and 8.1% (22/272) of cats had anti-T. gondii antibodies. Breed (OR: 2.10–95%, CI 1.27–3.46) was a risk factor for dogs, while sex (OR: 3.40–95%, CI 1.10–10.52) and homemade food consumption (OR: 8.49–95%, CI 2.48–29.05) were risk factors for cats. Offal consumption was considered a risk factor for both species evaluated (OR: 2.74–95%, CI 1.38–5.43 for dogs; OR: 7.66–95%, CI 1.24–47.29 for cats). The spatial analysis showed that T. gondii seropositive animals were widely distributed in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro state, with a concentration observed mainly in the west and north zones of Rio de Janeiro city. The results emphasize the importance of adopting prophylactic measures to control T. gondii transmission in domiciled dogs and cats in Rio de Janeiro, contributing positively to public health.

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum antibody seroprevalence and risk factors among dogs treated at Public Veterinary Hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil

“…The findings indicate that T. gondii is distributed throughout the region studied. This result is like what was found by Arruda et al (2021) in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro: from analysis on the spatial distribution of the occurrence of parasitized dogs, they observed that positive animals were distributed among all the locations studied.…”

“…A recent study carried out in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro (Arruda et al, 2021) also evaluated domiciled dogs in different areas of the city. They found a prevalence of 34% (136/400), i.e., three times higher than what was observed in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, also using IFAT (>16) as diagnostic test.…”

Seropositivity of Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Owners and Their Dogs Living on Island and Mainland Seashore Areas of Southern Brazil

“…Dogs have also been proposed as toxoplasmosis sentinels for human infection, mostly due to sharing inhouse spaces and related exposure to food and water sources [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The overall seropositivity in dogs in this study (23.3%) was lower than the 40.8% in Bahia State, northeastern Brazil [ 48 ], 40.0% [ 10 ] and the 25.4% in Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil [ 8 ], the 36.5% in Bahia State, northeastern Brazil [ 49 ], the 34% in Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil [ 50 ], and the 32.7% in southern and central-western Brazil [ 28 ]; only higher than the 16.3% [ 27 ] and the 7.95% in the same Parana State, southern Brazil [ 9 ]. In addition, the observed seropositivity herein was lower than the 72.7% in Cuba [ 7 ] and higher than the 18.6% [ 51 ] and the 21.6% in China [ 52 ].…”

Avaliação de cuidados básicos realizados em cães e gatos domiciliados

“…Apenas 3,43% dos entrevistados nuca fizeram uso de nenhum imunoestimulantes para os animais (Figura 1). FLORES et al, 2018;ARRUDA et al, 2021). Todavia, vale ressaltar que as características relacionadas as características dos animais atendidos em clínicas veterinárias várias de acordo com a localidade que o mesmo se encontra (CRAY; SELMIC; RUPLE, 2020).…”