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Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Cats from Cyprus

Attipa, Charalampos, Yiapanis, Christos, Tasker, Séverine and Diakou, Anastasia (2021) 'Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Cats from Cyprus'. Pathogens, Vol 10, Issue 7, p. 882.

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Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a cosmopolitan protozoon parasite, and the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, one of the most prevalent zoonotic parasitic diseases. Cats, as definitive hosts, spread the parasite via their faeces, but this occurs only for a very short period in their life. Seropositivity in cats, although not associated with current shedding of the parasite, is indicative of the infection in a cat population and can be used to assess the infection risk for definitive and intermediate hosts in that area. In order to assess the prevalence of infection in cats living in Cyprus, 155 cats, originating
from all districts of the country, were examined for the presence of T. gondii antibodies. Additionally, parameters such as age, sex, health status, lifestyle and concomitant infections were statistically assessed as potential risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity. Specific anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected in 50 (32.3%) cats, while the presence of feline immunodeficiency virus antibodies and a history of never having been vaccinated were statistically associated with T. gondii seropositivity on multivariate logistic regression analysis. This is the first report of T. gondii seroprevalence in cats n Cyprus and indicates that raised public awareness should be considered to prevent infection of animals and humans.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This article belongs to the Special Issue Felid Parasitoses, New Insights and Open Perspectives
Subjects: QX Parasitology > Protozoa > QX 140 Toxoplasma
QX Parasitology > QX 45 Host-parasite relations
WD Disorders of Systemic, Metabolic or Environmental Origin, etc > Disorders and Injuries of Environmental Origin > WD 600 General works
Faculty: Department: Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10070882
Depositing User: Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited: 27 Jul 2021 10:47
Last Modified: 27 Jul 2021 10:47
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/18376

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