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. 2008 Sep;46(3):199-201.
doi: 10.3347/kjp.2008.46.3.199.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in stray cats of Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Hye-Youn Kim  1 , Yun-Ah Kim, Seungwon Kang, Ho Sa Lee, Ho Gun Rhie, Hye-Jin Ahn, Ho-Woo Nam, Sang-Eun Lee
Affiliations

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in stray cats of Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Hye-Youn Kim et al. Korean J Parasitol. 2008 Sep.

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular zoonotic protozoan with a worldwide distribution. It infects humans as well as a broad spectrum of vertebrate hosts. Cats and wild felidae play crucial roles in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. This study was performed to survey the prevalence of T. gondii infection among stray cats in the Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. A total of 174 stray cat blood samples were collected from Gwacheon-si (n=20), Bucheon-si (82), and Yangju-si (72). Positive sera for T. gondii were identified in 14 samples (8.1%) exclusively via the latex agglutination test, 28 (16.1%) via ELISA, and 23 (13.2%) via PCR analysis. The overall infection rate of female stray cats (29.2%) presented as higher than that of male cats (24.0%). This study suggests that T. gondii is widespread in the stray cat population of Gyeonggi-do, Korea. It is urgently needed to control urban stray cat population and to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission of toxoplasmosis to other animal hosts and humans.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody titers in sera of stray cats caught in each area by ELISA.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody levels in sera of stray cats by ELISA to serial LAT dilution titers.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Amplification of 96 bp B1 PCR product from stray cat blood DNA in 2% agarose. M, 100 bp ladder; N, negative control; P, positive control (genomic DNA from T. gondii); 1-8: Blood DNA extracted from Gwacheon-si stray cats.
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