Age-specificity of Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in sheep, goats and cattle on subsistence farms in Bangladesh

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects humans and domestic animals. In this study, the seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies was investigated using serum samples collected from 83 sheep, 146 goats and 37 cattle from a dozen subsistence farms in Bangladesh. Fifty-eight out of 83 sheep (69.9%), 89 out of 146 goats (61.0%) and 10 out of 37 cattle (27.0%) were seropositive for the parasite. Seroprevalence in young goats (<1 year old) was significantly lower than that of the adult goats (>1 year old). In contrast, seroprevalence for young and adult sheep was similar. These results indicate that acquired infection with T. gondii occurs in this region of Bangladesh, at least among goats.

Fig. 1.

Location of sampling area. (A) Map of Bangladesh. (B) Map of Rajshahi city. City limits are indicated by dot-line. Heavy lines indicate arterial streets.

Fig. 2.

(A) Distribution of antibody titers determined by the Toxotest-MT test in serum samples from 83 sheep, 146 goats and 37 cattle. Percentage in vertical axis indicates frequency of individuals showing each titer. (B and C) Age-specific seroprevalence of T. gondii among the 83 sheep, 144 goats and 37 cattle used in this study. Inserted numeric characters indicate the total number of animals in each age-bracket. Two goats whose ages were not known were omitted from the study. (B) Seroprevalence according to age-range. Percentage in vertical axis indicates seroprevalence in each age-group. (C) Comparison of seroprevalence between young animals (open bars) and adults (shadowed bars). Seroprevalence in each age-group and the 95% confidence interval of seroprevalence calculated using F-distribution were shown. Percentage in vertical axis indicates seroprevalence in each age-group.