Open AccessAntibody frequency for Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp. in domiciliated and stray cats from Araguaína, Tocantins, Eastern Amazonia
Author(s) -
Taiã Mairon Peixoto Ribeiro,
AUTHOR_ID,
Thássia Silva Reis,
Sílvio Braz de Sousa,
Lucas Marlon Freiria,
Fábio Alves Gomes,
Giane Regina Paludo,
Kledir Anderson Hofstaetter Spohr,
Marcos Rogério André,
Helciléia Dias Santos,
Valéria de Sá Jayme,
AUTHOR_ID,
AUTHOR_ID,
AUTHOR_ID,
AUTHOR_ID,
AUTHOR_ID,
AUTHOR_ID,
AUTHOR_ID,
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AUTHOR_ID
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
semina. ciências agrárias
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.268
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1679-0359
pISSN - 1676-546X
DOI - 10.5433/1679-0359.2022v43n2p629
Subject(s) - neospora caninum , toxoplasma gondii , neospora , cats , veterinary medicine , breed , seroprevalence , biology , coccidia , population , coccidiosis , antibody , serology , medicine , zoology , immunology , parasite hosting , environmental health , world wide web , computer science
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora spp. are protozoa that have a significant impact on animal health due to the diseases they cause in domestic and wild animals. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of antibodies against T. gondii and Neospora spp. in cats from northern Brazil. Serum samples were collected from 180 cats in the municipality of Araguaína, Tocantins and used to evaluate the presence of anti-T. gondii and anti-Neospora spp. antibodies using the indirect fluorescent antibody test, with a cutoff of 1:64 and 1:25, respectively. The association between infection and individual animal characteristics (age, sex, origin, breed, and clinical signs) was tested using univariate analysis, followed by multivariate logistic regression. We found that 48.3% (87/180) of the animals had anti-T. gondii (95% CI: 40.8%–55.90%) and 3.9% (7/180) had anti-Neospora spp. (95% CI: 1.6%–7.8%) antibodies. There was no association between age, sex, breed origin, clinical signs, and seropositivity for T. gondii. Cats of defined breeds were more likely to be infected by Neospora spp. (OR = 10.7). Therefore, we found a high rate of seropositivity for T. gondii and a high rate of occurrence of Neospora infections in cats from the Araguaína region. The exposure of the feline population to the studied coccidia indicates the need to monitor the feline population for these infections and underscores the importance of effective sanitary measures against such pathogens.