Risk factors and prevalence of IgG antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in domestic cats: La Matanza, Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Autores: C. López, B. Daprato, S. Zampolini, C. Mazzeo, N. Cardillo, Irma E. Sommerfelt
• Localización: Revista Ibero-latinoamericana de parasitología, ISSN 0718-8730, Vol. 70, Nº. 1, 2011, págs. 29-34
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of IgG antibodies anti Toxoplasma gondii and identify the risk factors present in a population of healthy cats. Blood samples were obtained from cats that arrived at Surgery for neutering. Detection of IgG antibodies was carried out using indirect immunofl uorescence (IFAT) starting with a 1/25 dilution and successive dilutions in media until the endpoint. An epidemiological survey was carried out, obtaining information on age, gender, origin (cats from households with a responsible owner or stray cats) and the habits of the animals (where they defecated, raw meat consumption, hunting habits, whether or not they stayed in the household and coexistence with other animals). A total of 513 cat blood samples were collected, obtaining a seroprevalence of 22.6% (IC 0.18 - 0.26). Signifi cant statistical association was found for the variable age (p = 0.003), with the habit of wandering outside of the home (p = 0.0007) and the habit of hunting (p = 0.004). Of the animals sampled, 77.4% were negative, with potential to become infected and shed oocysts into the environment. They represent a potential source of infection, especially for pregnant women and for inmunosuppressed people.