Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in dogs from the state of Paraíba, Northeast region of Brazil

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii and anti- Neospora caninum antibodies and to investigate the risk factors related to antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum in dogs of the city of Campina Grande, state of Paraíba, Northeast region...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in veterinary science 2005-08, Vol.79 (1), p.51-56
Main Authors: Azevedo, S.S., Batista, C.S.A., Vasconcellos, S.A., Aguiar, D.M., Ragozo, A.M.A., Rodrigues, A.A.R., Alves, C.J., Gennari, S.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
age
animal behavior
animal housing
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan - blood
antibody detection
Brazil - epidemiology
cats
Coccidiosis - epidemiology
Coccidiosis - veterinary
dog diseases
Dog Diseases - epidemiology
Dog Diseases - parasitology
Dogs
environmental factors
epidemiological studies
Neospora - isolation & purification
Neospora caninum
neosporosis
Prevalence
Risk factors
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Seroepidemiology
seroprevalence
Toxoplasma gondii
toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, Animal - epidemiology
Veterinary medicine
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Summary:A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii and anti- Neospora caninum antibodies and to investigate the risk factors related to antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum in dogs of the city of Campina Grande, state of Paraíba, Northeast region of Brazil. For this purpose, 286 blood samples were collected from dogs during the rabies vaccination campaign, in September 2003, and on this occasion questionnaires addressing epidemiological aspects of the infections were given to each dog owner. The sera were analyzed for anti- T. gondii and anti- N. caninum antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody tests. Of the total of 286 dogs, 129 were positive for T. gondii (titer ⩾ 16) with a prevalence value of 45.1% (95% CI = 39.24–51.07%). For N. caninum, 24 dogs were positive (titer ⩾ 50), with a prevalence value of 8.4% (95% CI = 5.45–12.23%). Antibodies to T. gondii and N. caninum were found simultaneously in 14 dogs (4.9%; 95% CI = 2.7–8.08%). For T. gondii infection, the risk factors associated with seroprevalence was the age of the animals, with dogs older than one year presenting higher values of odds ratio, and co-habitation of cats in the household. For N. caninum infection, dogs that have street contact had higher odds of seropositivity than dogs that remained exclusively in a domestic environment.
ISSN:0034-5288
1532-2661
DOI:10.1016/j.rvsc.2004.10.001