Serological profile of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in apparently healthy dogs of the city of Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis caused byStatistically significant differences were not found regarding sex (32.2% male and 34.3% female reactors). Dogs without a defined breed showed seropositivity statistically higher than the pedigreed group. The occurrence of infection was considered higher with age.

Risk factors and presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in dogs from the coast of São Paulo State, Brazil

“…In this study, although there was higher occurrence among 0-4.1-year-old animals (32.5%; CI95% 23.2-43.4%), followed by the intermediate age range (21.9; CI95% 14.0-32.7%), no significant association was detected in the analysis of either all three age ranges or each two ranges; differently from Langoni et al (2006), who observed higher occurrence among the oldest animals, 13.3-20 years (75%), and Da Silva et al (2009), who reported higher frequencies in age ranges above 6-8 years.…”

“…In the present study, 25.4% of the tested samples were positive by IFAT and were within the State range from 19.7 to 33.1% (Brito et al 2002, Souza et al 2003, Langoni et al 2006) and the national range from 8.2 to 88.5% (Silva et al 1997, Souza et al 2003, Cañón-Franco et al 2004, Azevedo et al 2005, Romanelli et al 2007, Figueredo et al 2008, Da Silva et al 2009, Santos et al 2009 (Silva et al 1997, Brito et al 2002, Azevedo et al 2005, Langoni et al 2006, Dubey et al 2007b,c, Öncel et al 2007, Romanelli et al 2007, Da Silva et al 2009, Santos et al 2009). On the other hand, Cañón-Franco et al (2004) observed that most of the 76.4% seropositive dogs did not have low titers, ranging from 128 to 2048, which may indicate active infection.…”

“…The same was observed by Öncel et al (2007) in dogs of defined breed (35.3%; CI95% 21.5-52.2%). Langoni et al (2006) verified that 35.9% of the reagents had non-defined breed, which is justifiable as they have predatory habits, whereas Brito et al (2002) noticed that 48.7% reagents were ≤ 1 year old. Titer distribution was uniform concerning sex, untreated water and homemade food ingestion.…”

“…However, some studies have reported that dogs can mechanically transmit oocysts through the feces to men (Frenkel & Parker 1996, Lindsay et al 1997, Clementino et al 2007). On the other hand, dogs epidemiologically act as perfect sentinels of T. gondii infection to men, allowing the evaluation of the rate of environmental contamination with oocysts in both urban and rural areas, as well by ingestion of raw or undercooked meat with tissue cysts (Souza et al 2003, Azevedo et al 2005, Langoni et al 2006, Santos et al 2009). Santos et al (2009) demonstrated such relationship by identifying 54/61 (88.5%) dogs and 113/116 (97.4%) men serologically positive to T. gondii in 50 farms studied in Mato Grosso State, Brazil.…”

“…Thus, dogs might have been infected in their own house or surroundings, as observed by Cañón-Franco et al (2004), who detected 84.9% positive dogs having access to the street and 58.8% ones raised in the house. However, this result may also be related to "homemade food ingestion", OR=7.0 (CI95% 3.0-16.6), which is only a suggestion since this variable was not explored concerning the type of food and the way it was prepared; besides, the animals might have been infected by oocysts in water contaminated with feces of cats or by ingesting tissue cysts present in raw meat of unsafe origin (Dubey & Beattie 1988, Souza et al 2003, Langoni et al 2006. Such variable is a very important item in Brazil since most of the population is used to feeding dogs on leftovers, which are generally raw or poorly cooked food of unsafe origin.…”