Seroepidemiology of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in wild ruminants in Spain

Castro‐Scholten, Sabrina; Cano‐Terriza, David; Jiménez‐Ruiz, Saúl; Almerı́a, S.; Risalde, María Ángeles; Vicente, Joaquín; Acevedo, Pelayo; Arnal, María Cruz; Balseiro, Ana; Gómez‐Guillamón, Félix; Escribano, Fernando; Ribas, M.; Dubey, J. P.; García‐Bocanegra, Ignacio

doi:10.1111/zph.12878

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…We have not found published studies on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in rodents in Spain; in other European countries, it varied in the range of 0-59.4% [63]. In other host species from Spain, seroprevalence varied in the range of 5.6-39.6% in ruminants (roe deer, fallow deer, red deer, Sothern chamois, mouflon, wild goat, and Barbary sheep) [64], 21.9% in free-ranging Iberian pigs [65], and 6.1-53.8% in wild rabbits [66].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Endangered Wild Felines (Felis silvestris and Lynx pardinus) in Spain

Matas Méndez,

Fuentes Corripio,

Montoya Matute

et al. 2023

Animals

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The wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) are important species in Spain, considered as near-threatened and endangered, respectively. Both can be infected by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause morbidity and mortality in transplacentally-infected or immunocompromised mammals. The data on the prevalence of this parasite in wild populations of these species in Spain are outdated. The objective of this study was to update information and evaluate the role of these felines in parasite epidemiology and the potential impact of the parasite on their conservation. Blood and fecal samples were collected from captured animals, as well as the tongue, diaphragm, and spleen, from animals killed in road accidents in central Spain. An indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was used to detect parasite antibodies in serum, microscopy and molecular analysis were used to detect oocysts in feces, and molecular analysis was used to determine the existence of tissue cysts. Seroprevalence was 85% in wildcats and 45% in lynx, and parasite DNA was detected in the feces of one wildcat and in tissue samples from 10 wildcats and 11 Iberian lynxes. These results highlight the epidemiological importance and high risk of T. gondii infection in animals and humans in the studied areas. Considering feline susceptibility to infection, monitoring programs are needed to assess the health status of wild felines.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Endangered Wild Felines (Felis silvestris and Lynx pardinus) in Spain

Matas Méndez,

Fuentes Corripio,

Montoya Matute

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…It should be noted, however, that there were no ERD in the seropositive sampled area and that all the samples from this species in our study were collected in rural areas with few or no people to interact with. Epidemiological studies carried out in wild ruminants in Spain have shown an effective interspecies transmission of several pathogens between RD, FD, and ERD and have also shown a heterogeneous prevalence of antibodies against different pathogens depending on the animal species and its spatial distribution [49][50][51]. Interestingly, FD is the most anthropogenically influenced among cervids in Spain and can create very dense populations due to its gregarious behavior [52].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Free-Ranging Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Suburban and Rural Areas in Spain

Encinas,

Escalera,

Aydillo

et al. 2023

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

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Effective control of zoonotic infectious diseases requires identifying the animal species involved in the infectious cycle as transmitters or reservoirs where the pathogen could persist and evolve, increasing the risk of reintroduction of new variants in humans and animals. Multiple surveillance studies have detected the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) or specific antibodies in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in North America, being the wild mammal species with the most reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, so far, all attempts to detect the infection in European cervids have been unsuccessful. In this study, we demonstrated the presence of specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in European fallow deer (Dama dama) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Spain. However, all samples of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), taxonomically related to the American white-tailed deer, were seronegative for the virus. We tested 215 serum samples from roe deer (n = 116), red deer (n = 63), and fallow deer (n = 36) collected in eight provinces of central-southern Spain between 2017 and 2022. We first screened sera by a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) ELISA based on the binding of the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and then confirmed positive samples by a conventional virus neutralization test (cVNT) against the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. Four fallow deer and two red deer samples were seropositive in both neutralization assays. Four samples of fallow deer and one of red deer, collected in a suburban park near Madrid in February 2022, had antibodies against the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants, while a seropositive sample of red deer, collected in a rural area in February 2021, was specific for the Delta variant. All samples collected before the start of the pandemic in Spain were seronegative for sVNT, which also indicates that there are not cross-reactive antibodies potentially elicited by other viruses antigenically related to SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate probable human-to-deer transmission of SARS-CoV-2, but do not clarify whether there was subsequent spread within herds.

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“…Farmers used to consume some wild species as bush meat and eventually feed the domestic cats with the remains, thus maintaining the cycle on the farms. The main wild ruminant species, hunted and destined for human consumption in Spain (red deer and roe deer), showed high antibody titers against T. gondii , suggesting that undercooked game meat should not be consumed by humans or be used to feed cats [ 47 ]. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the T. gondii infection levels in meat and derived products from wild artiodactyl species in Ecuador.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RIDA ® QUICK Cryptosporidium test identifies an antigen of Cryptosporidium parvum ; however, there may be other species of Cryptosporidium parasitizing goats. In Spain, a report showed that 71.4% of the samples were positive for species other than C. parvum : C. xiaoi and C. ubiquitum [ 47 ]. In the United Kingdom, C. hominis has been reported in goats with a potential risk for people in contact with infected animals [ 53 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apicomplexans in Goat: Prevalence of Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium spp., Eimeria spp. and Risk Factors in Farms from Ecuador

Celi

Guzmán

Rey-Valeirón

2022

Animals

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Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium and Eimeria cause severe impacts on the productivity of goat herds. The objectives of the present study were to establish the prevalence of these apicomplexans in goat farms from Ecuador; to evaluate a rapid test for Cryptosporidium diagnosis and to identify the risk factors associated with the infections. A questionnaire was designed to obtain information from 24 goat farms from Zapotillo, Garza Real, Cazaderos, Limones and Paletillas parishes in Ecuador. Blood (n = 388) and feces (n = 391) samples were collected. Indirect ELISA and standard parasitological assays were carried out to evaluate the seroprevalence of N. caninum and T. gondii and to detect oocysts of Cryptosporidium and Eimeria. The overall prevalence values of N. caninum and T. gondii were 12.11% and 18.20%, Cryptosporidium spp. and Eimeria spp. oocysts were detected in 10.49% and 89.51% of the total samples. A low correlation value was found between the results obtained by Ziehl-Nielsen and the rapid test. The multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that vitamin supplementation, age of diarrhea, frequency of deworming, pasture area, presence of artiodactyls, domestic fowl, administration of sulfas, age group, body condition, abortions, type of pastures and the presence of cattle were risk factors according to the parasite species.

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Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in wild ruminants in Spain

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

Cited by 11 publications

References 66 publications

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Endangered Wild Felines (Felis silvestris and Lynx pardinus) in Spain

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Endangered Wild Felines (Felis silvestris and Lynx pardinus) in Spain

SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies in Free-Ranging Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Suburban and Rural Areas in Spain

Apicomplexans in Goat: Prevalence of Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium spp., Eimeria spp. and Risk Factors in Farms from Ecuador

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