Prevalence and isolation of Toxoplasma gondii in goats slaughtered for human consumption in the semi-arid of northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and factors associated with infection in goats, and to isolate protozoan strains in tissue samples from seropositive goats that were destined for human consumption in the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Serum samples from 229 slaughtered goats were tested using the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), with a cutoff point of 1:64. Epidemiological questionnaires were applied to the producers, to acquire information about the sanitary management used in their herds. Tissue samples from the animals were collected during slaughter, in order to perform bioassays in mice. The seroprevalence found was 21.39% (49/229), with antibody titers ranging from 1:64 to 1:32,768. The municipalities of origin, Patos (OR: 3.047; CI: 1.384-6.706) and Sousa (OR: 3.355; CI: 1.536-7.327), were considered to be factors associated with infection by T. gondii. Thirty-eight bioassays were performed in mice, using tissues from seropositive goats, with an isolation rate of 50% (19/38). There was no correlation between isolation rate and antibody titers. Only one mouse died, at 30 days post-infection, which demonstrated that the strains isolated had low virulence towards mice. It was concluded that there is high seroprevalence in goats in northeastern Brazil, as well as a high percentage of viable tissue cysts in slaughtered animals destined for human consumption. These results demonstrate that there is an imminent one health problem relating to toxoplasmosis, especially in the most populous municipalities in the study (Patos and Sousa), which were identified as factors associated with T. gondii infection in goats.

Keywords: Bioassay; Farming goat; One health; Toxoplasmosis; Virulence.