Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in captive felids in Thailand

Thiangtum, Khongsak; Nimsuphun, Burin; Pinyopanuwat, Nongnuch; Chimnoi, Wissanuwat; Tunwattana, Wanchai; Tongthainan, Daraka; Jittapalapong, Sathaporn; Rukkwamsuk, Theera; Maruyama, Soichi

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2005.12.009

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…(2009)CaptiveSouth Africa10/14 (71)IFATCheadle et al. (1999)CaptiveThailand1/7 (14)LATThiangtum et al. (2006)CaptiveUSA12/22 (55)MATde Camps et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of high exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging and captive African carnivores

Ferreira

Torelli

Klein

et al. 2019

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Toxoplasma gondii is an ubiquitous intracellular protozoan parasite. Mammals and birds are intermediate hosts and felid species are definitive hosts. In most human altered habitats the domestic cat is the predominant definitive host. Current knowledge of T. gondii infection in African ecosystems is limited. This study aimed to assess exposure to T. gondii in wild carnivores in the Serengeti ecosystem in East Africa. Carnivores can be infected by the consumption of tissue cysts when feeding on infected animals and by incidental ingestion of oocysts from environmental contamination. Incidental ingestion should occur regardless of a species’ diet whereas the consumption of cysts should increase the chance of infection in carnivorous species. This predicts higher seropositivity in carnivorous than in insectivorous carnivores and lower seropositivity in juvenile carnivores with a long dependency on milk than in adults. We found high seropositivity in carnivorous species: 100% (15 of 15 samples) in adult African lions, 93% (38 of 41 samples) in adult spotted hyenas and one striped hyena sample was positive, whereas all four samples from the insectivorous bat-eared fox were negative. Juvenile hyenas (11 of 19 sera) had significantly lower seropositivity than adults (38 of 41 sera). Long-term monitoring of spotted hyenas revealed no significant difference in seropositivity between two periods (1988–1992 and 2000 to 2016). Identical results were produced in lion and hyena samples by a commercial multi-species ELISA (at serum dilution 1:10) and an in-house ELISA based on a recombinant T. gondii protein (at serum dilution 1:100), making the latter a useful alternative for small amounts of serum. We suggest that diet, age and lifetime range are factors determining seropositivity in carnivores in the Serengeti ecosystem and suggest that the role of small wild felids in the spread of T. gondii in the African ecosystem warrants investigation.

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“…(2009)CaptiveSouth Africa10/14 (71)IFATCheadle et al. (1999)CaptiveThailand1/7 (14)LATThiangtum et al. (2006)CaptiveUSA12/22 (55)MATde Camps et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of high exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging and captive African carnivores

Ferreira

Torelli

Klein

et al. 2019

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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“…In Henan Province, the T. gondii seropositive rate of felids in tigers and lions (88.9%) and had a high titer in MAT (Table 1), which was higher than that in other zoos from the China. The prevalence of T. gondii antibodies in zoo felids was 81.4% (35/43) in Mexico (Alvarado-Esquivel et al, 2013), 36.2% (51/141) (de Camps et al, 2008), and 59.3% (35/59) (Spencer et al, 2003) in United States, 15.4% (21/136) in Thailand (Thiangtum et al, 2006), 75.0% (6/8) in Portugal (Tidy et al, 2017), 69.6% (16/23) in Australia(Hill et al, 2008), and 64.9% (24/37) (Silva et al, 2001b), 54.6% (472/865) (Silva et al, 2001a), 66.7% (38/57) (Ullmann et al, 2010) in Brazil. All these higher seropositive rates for T. gondii in zoo felids reveal a widespread exposure to T. gondii in captive felids from zoos around the world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibody Detection, Isolation, Genotyping, and Virulence of Toxoplasma gondii in Captive Felids from China

Yang

Feng

et al. 2017

Front. Microbiol.

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The felids are the only definitive hosts of Toxoplasma gondii, which could excrete oocysts into the environment and provide an infection source for toxoplasmosis in various warm-blooded animal species, particularly the captive felids that live close to human communities. The infection rate of the captive felids is a perfect standard in detecting the presence of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in the environment. In this study, sera or tissue samples from zoo (1 young tiger, 2 adult tigers, 6 young lions), farm (10 masked palm civets), and pet hospital (28 cats) from Henan Province (China) were collected. The sera (n = 47) were tested for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against T. gondii by using modified agglutination test (MAT), whereas the hearts tissue (n = 40) were bioassayed in mice to isolate T. gondii strains. The genotype was distinguished by using PCR-RFLP of 10 loci (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, GRA6, BTUB, L358, c22-8, PK1, c29-2, and Apico). The detection rate for the T. gondii antibody in captive felids was 21.3% (10/47). One viable T. gondii strain (TgCatCHn4) was obtained from a cat heart tissue, and its genotype was ToxoDB#9. The oocysts of ToxoDB#9 were collected from a T. gondii-free cat. The virulence of TgCatCHn4 was low and no cysts were detected in the brain of mice at 60 days post-inoculation. The finding of the present study suggested a widespread exposure of T. gondii for felids in Henan Province of central China, particularly those from the zoological gardens and homes. ToxoDB#9 was the predominant strain in China. Preventive measures against T. gondii oocyst contamination of various components of the environment should thus be implemented, including providing pre-frozen meat, well-cooked cat food, cleaned fruits and vegetables, monitoring birds and rodents, inactive T. gondii oocysts in felids feces, and proper hygiene.

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“…In Thailand, where toxoplasmosis has never been investigated in rodents, recent studies have shown widespread cases of infection in humans (Maruyama et al 2000), dogs and cats ( Jittapalapong et al 2007), swine (Thiptara et al 2006), goats ( Jittapalapong et al 2005), elephants (Tuntasuvan et al 2001), and tigers (Thiangtum et al 2006). Therefore, this study was first designed to determine the presence and prevalence of T. gondii in wild rodents in Thailand and then to enlighten from an ecological point of view their importance in the transmission of this parasite either to other animals or to humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasmosis in Rodents: Ecological Survey and First Evidences in Thailand

Jittapalapong

Sarataphan

Maruyama

et al. 2011

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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Domestic and wild rodents known as the most abundant and diversified order of mammals have a key role in the ecological food chain and also in the transmission of parasites and pathogens to other animals. While foraging on the ground, they can get infected by Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite, which is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. Therefore, they serve as intermediate hosts of T. gondii and can transmit it to their predators. To assess their role in the maintenance of T. gondii lifecycle in Thailand, we sampled rodents in a range of biotopes representative of the high biodiversity and conducted a serological survey with latex agglutination test to detect anti-T. gondii antibodies. Overall, 21 of 461 (4.6%) rodents had diagnostically significant antibody titers (cutoff, 1:64). Every species with at least 37 individuals captured tested positive, confirming the wide range of potential mammalian hosts of toxoplasmosis. None of the ecological traits (sex, maturity, morphology, season, or habitat) was found significant to predict the susceptibility to T. gondii both univariately and in a multivariate analysis. However, high prevalences were reported in either forested or anthropized areas. This survey constitutes the first confirmed serological investigation of T. gondii in rodents in Thailand. The rarity of both domestic and wild felids in Thailand emphasizes the importance of rodents in maintaining T. gondii, and questions the involvement of other carnivores in the life cycle.

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Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in captive felids in Thailand

Cited by 17 publications

References 13 publications

Evidence of high exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging and captive African carnivores

Evidence of high exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging and captive African carnivores

Antibody Detection, Isolation, Genotyping, and Virulence of Toxoplasma gondii in Captive Felids from China

Toxoplasmosis in Rodents: Ecological Survey and First Evidences in Thailand

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