Seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in Egyptian sheep and goats

Abstract

BackgroundToxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease that affects a wide range of animals, including small ruminants. Sheep and goats are considered as biological indicators for the contamination of the environment with Toxoplasma gondii oocysts. In addition, in countries such as Egypt, where sheep and goat meat is frequently consumed, T. gondii infection in small ruminants may also pose a public health risk. To establish baseline estimates of the prevalence of T. gondii infection in Egyptian small ruminants, we used an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the seroprevalence in 398 sheep from four Egyptian governorates (Cairo, Giza, Dakahlia and Sharkia) and in 100 goats from Dakahlia. The positive and negative agreements of both tests were calculated and the true prevalence was estimated using a Bayesian approach.ResultsThe true prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii as determined by both tests was higher in Egyptian goats (62%) than in sheep for each province (between 4.1 and 26%). Sheep slaughtered at the Cairo abattoir had the lowest true prevalence (4.1%), while true prevalences in Dakahlia, Giza and Sharkia governorates (26%, 23% and 12%, respectively) were substantially higher.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii may indicate an important role of goat and sheep in the transmission of human toxoplasmosis in Egypt, given the habit of eating undercooked grilled mutton.

First report on seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep and goats in North Lebanon

“…In our study, the important seroprevalence in Lebanese ovine was higher to those observed as average in Mediterranean countries: 10% in Turkey [19], 26% in Egypt [20], 27.6% in Morocco [21] and 28.3% in Greece [22]. However, higher results were observed in some localities from: Libya 71% [23], France 65.5% [24] and Switzerland 61.6% [25].…”

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii in Ruminant Meats from Wet Markets in Klang Valley and Abattoirs in Selangor, Malaysia

“…Higher odds of seropositivity were recorded in goat and sheep meat samples compared to samples from cattle. This result is consistent with previous studies conducted worldwide reporting significantly higher seroprevalence in small ruminants as compared to cattle [8,32]. Small ruminants, especially sheep, are more susceptible to T. gondii and they suffer from abortion and neonatal losses, but such reports are lacking in cattle [50,51].…”

“…The current prevalence of T. gondii antibodies found in meats of goats (42.5%) and sheep (35%) from the two abattoirs is similar to that reported in Iran (goats; 48%, sheep; 32.6%) [24] and Pakistan (goats; 42.8%, sheep; 26.2%) [25]. However, the prevalence estimate in the present work is higher than that reported in goats in Myanmar (11.4%) [26], and lower than the estimates in Egypt (62%) [8] and Italy (63.3%) [27]. Such variations could be due to the presence of potential risk factors for exposure to the parasites, types of serological assay and cut-off used, sample size, climate variation, and farm levels of contamination with T. gondii oocysts especially in soil, feed and water trough [28,29].…”

“…In the present work, indirect ELISA assay was used to detect the presence of T. gondii antibodies in the meat juice from meat samples. The use of ELISA has been widely documented in epidemiological studies for the detection T. gondii antibodies in ruminants [7,8,37,38]. Similarly, the use of meat juice has been reported in various studies involving cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, wild boars, and exotic animals [39,40].…”

“…Ruminant animals especially sheep and goats are highly susceptible to T. gondii infection leading to reproductive failures [6]. There are indications of increasing seroprevalence of T. gondii worldwide, as the estimates of 18.6%, 43.9% and 47% were observed in cattle, goats and sheep, respectively [6][7][8]. Ruminant livestock are more likely to be infected due to the nature of grazing in contaminated environment with the oocysts [9].…”