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Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Chickens ( Gallus domesticus ): Prevalence, Clinical Disease, Diagnosis and Public Health Significance
Author(s) -
Dubey J. P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01274.x
Subject(s) - toxoplasma gondii , toxoplasmosis , epidemiology , parasitic disease , parasite hosting , biology , disease , veterinary medicine , clinical disease , transmission (telecommunications) , public health , prevalence , virology , immunology , medicine , antibody , pathology , world wide web , computer science , electrical engineering , engineering
Summary Chickens are considered one of the most important hosts in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection because they are an efficient source of infection for cats that excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts and because humans may become infected with this parasite after eating undercooked infected chicken meat. The objective of this study is to review worldwide prevalence of T. gondii infection in chickens and to assess the role of infected chickens in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in humans. A very high prevalence of the parasite was found in chickens raised in backyards (up to 100%) and free‐range organic (30–50%) establishments.