Risk factors associated with seropositivity to Toxoplasma among sheep and goats in Northern Iraq

Hamada, Ali Al; Habib, Ihab; Barnes, Anne; Robertson, Ian D.

doi:10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100264

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic apicomplexan parasite infecting humans and other warm-blooded animals including livestock 1 , 2 and poultry 3 , 4 . The latter serve as an intermediate host, while felines are the final hosts of T. gondii 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains from domestic animals in Tunisia

Lachkhem

Galal

Lahmar

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The isolation and molecular typing of Toxoplasma gondii strains provide an essential basis for a better understanding of the parasite’s genetic diversity, determinants of its geographical distribution and associated risks to human health. In this study, we isolated and genetically characterized T. gondii strains from domestic animals in Southern and coastal area of Tunisia. Blood, hearts and/or brains were collected from 766 domestic animals (630 sheep and 136 free-range chickens). Strain isolation from these samples was performed using mouse bioassay and genotyping was carried out with a multiplex PCR technique using 15 microsatellite markers. Thirty viable strains of T. gondii were successfully isolated from tissues of sheep (19/142) and chickens (11/33). In addition, 3 strains could be successfully genotyped from animal tissues for which mouse bioassay was unsuccessful. A large predominance of type II strains (n = 29) was found in the sampled regions, followed by type III (n = 3) and, for the first time in Tunisia, a single isolate of Africa 4 lineage from a sheep. Analyses of population genetics showed the presence of a divergent population of type II lineage in Tunisia, supporting limited recent migrations of strains between Tunisia and other countries of the world.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains from domestic animals in Tunisia

Lachkhem

Galal

Lahmar

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic apicomplexan parasite infecting humans and other warm-blooded animals including livestock 1,2 and poultry 3,4 . The latters serve as an intermediate host, while felines are the nal hosts of T. gondii 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Isolation and Genotyping of Toxoplasma Gondii Strains From Domestic Animals in Tunisia

Lachkhem

Galal

Lahmar

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The isolation and molecular typing of Toxoplasma gondii strains provides an essential basis for a better understanding of the distribution of genetic diversity and associated human health risks. In this context, we report, the molecular characterization of strains of T. gondii isolated from domestic animals infected with T. gondii in Southern and coastal area of Tunisia. This diversity is compared to that known for the Western European and Mediterranean sub-region.Blood, hearts and/or brains were collected from 766 domestic animals (630 sheep and 136 free-range chickens). Strain isolation from these samples were performed using mouse bioassay. The strains genotyping was carried out with a multiplex PCR technique using 15 microsatellite markers. Viable strains of T. gondii were isolated from 13.4% sheep and 33.3% chickens. Furthermore, the parasite was also detected in three DNA extracts from animal tissue digestates.This study showed a large predominance of type II strains (87.9%) from which two samples were type II variants for W35 locus. The other genotypes were three type III sheep isolates (9.1%) and, for the first time in Tunisia, an isolate of sheep origin of the Africa 4 genotype (3.0%). The comparison of microsatellite alleles of type II strains shows the recent migration of strains between Tunisia and other countries of the world.

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“…In Iraq, factors which are associated with reproductive failure in small ruminants are mostly unknown; however, of the many endemic diseases present, brucellosis and toxoplasmosis are considered important in reducing reproductive output and productivity [ 12 , 13 ]. Although recent studies undertaken in Iraq have highlighted a significant association between seropositivity to Brucella or Toxoplasma and abortion in sheep and goats [ 2 , 14 ], these were based on cross-sectional studies with their accompanying potential biases, in particular identifying whether infection as measured by a seropositive reaction occurred prior to or after pregnancy loss. This study is part of an integrated research project aiming at understanding the epidemiology of reproductive diseases in small ruminants in northern Iraq.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study is part of an integrated research project aiming at understanding the epidemiology of reproductive diseases in small ruminants in northern Iraq. We explored seropositivity patterns and risk factors of Brucella and Toxoplasma in sheep and goats in Dohuk Province in northern Iraq in previous work [ 2 , 14 ]. Moving forward, we present in this work a prospective cohort study aiming to determine the incidence risk of seroconversion to Brucella and Toxoplasma and the association of seroconversion with the reproductive outcome in pregnant sheep and goats in Dohuk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroconversion to Brucella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in Sheep and Goats in Dohuk Province, Iraq and Its Association with Pregnancy Loss

Hamada

Habib

Bruce

et al. 2021

Animals

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In this study, sera from 240 small ruminants (192 sheep and 48 goats) belonging to 12 farms in Dohuk Province, northern Iraq, were collected on two occasions to investigate the incidence risk of seroconversion to Brucella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii. All selected animals were confirmed pregnant (approximately 2 months pregnant) by ultrasound examination at the time of the first blood collection. A second ultrasound examination and blood sampling were undertaken two months after the initial scanning/sampling. Antibodies to Brucella were tested using the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA), and the results were interpreted in series. The Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) were also used in series to confirm the presence of antibodies to T. gondii. The seroprevalence for Brucella and Toxoplasma increased significantly between the two sampling times (p = 0.0003 and 0.03 in first and second sampling, respectively). The incidence risk of seroconversion to Brucella over the two months was 10.6% (95% CI: 6.9–15.3) and 7.3% (95% CI: 4.3–11.6) for Toxoplasma. Animals that seroconverted to Brucella were 2.9 times more likely to lose their pregnancy (95% CI: 1.6–5.5) than animals that remained seronegative; however, seroconversion to Toxoplasma had no significant impact on loss of pregnancy. This study is the first reported investigation on the association of seroconversion to Brucella and Toxoplasma with the reproductive outcome of pregnant sheep and goats in northern Iraq. Brucellosis and toxoplasmosis continue to negatively impact small ruminants' reproductive performance and compromising food security in Iraq. It is hoped that this study will assist the development of a better-informed economic model to estimate Brucella and Toxoplasma burden in small animals in northern Iraq, and such a model could be used to validate the impact of various potential intervention programs in.

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Risk factors associated with seropositivity to Toxoplasma among sheep and goats in Northern Iraq

Cited by 13 publications

References 28 publications

First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains from domestic animals in Tunisia

First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains from domestic animals in Tunisia

First Isolation and Genotyping of Toxoplasma Gondii Strains From Domestic Animals in Tunisia

Seroconversion to Brucella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in Sheep and Goats in Dohuk Province, Iraq and Its Association with Pregnancy Loss

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