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Title: SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII ANTIBODIES IN DOMESTIC CATS FROM BARCELONA, SPAIN

Author
item GAUSS, C - UNIV AUTONOMA BARCELONA
item ALMERIA, S - UNIV AUTONOMA BARCELONA
item ORTUNO, A - UNIV AUTONOMA BARCELONA
item GARCIA, F - UNIV AUTONOMA BARCELONA
item Dubey, Jitender

Submitted to: Journal of Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2003
Publication Date: 7/2/2003
Citation: Gauss, C.B., Almeria, S., Ortuno, A., Garcia, F., Dubey, J.P. 2003. Seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii antibodies in domestic cats from Barcelona, Spain. Journal of Parasitology. 89:1067-1068.

Interpretive Summary: Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center report for the first time antibodies to T. gondii in 45% of domestic cats from Barcelona, Spain. These results will be of interest to public health workers, veterinarians and parasitologists.

Technical Abstract: Cats are important in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection because they are the only hosts that can excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts. Antibodies to T. gondii were determined in serum samples from 220 domestic cats (Felis catus) from Barcelona, Spain with the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 99 (45 %) of 220 cats with MAT titers of 1:25 in 26, 1:50 in 57, and ¿1:500 in 16. Seropositivity (MAT 1:25 or more) was higher in adults (¿ 1-yr-old, 49.7% of 153) versus in juvenile (<1-yr-old, 34.3% of 67), in feral (51.9% of 131) versus domiciled (34.8% of 89) cats, and in cats living with more than 5 cats in a group (community) (50.7% of 142) versus in cats living alone (28.0% of 50). Those seropositive cats are likely to have already shed T. gondii oocysts in the environment around Barcelona.