Toxoplasma gondii infection in raptors from Italy: Seroepidemiology and risk factors analysis

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite infecting a wide range of intermediate hosts, including birds. Nevertheless, scant information on the spread of infection in wild bird populations is available to date. With the aim of updating information on T. gondii infection in birds of prey and possible risk factors associated with the infection, a serosurvey was planned on both wild and captive raptors. An overall of 93 raptors from Northern Italy were tested for the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies with a commercial modified agglutination test (MAT). A T. gondii prevalence of 10.7% was recorded; the highest seroprevalence was observed within the Family Strigidae (12.5%). Only wild animals tested positive; any statistical difference among species, taxonomic family, age, origin, use, migratory behavior and diet composition was not highlighted. Toxoplasmosis in birds of prey, sentinel species for the environmental spread of T. gondii, should always be considered within sanitary programs devoted to avian species protection.

Keywords: Birds of prey; MAT; Serology; Toxoplasma gondii; Wild birds.