Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in Small Ruminants in Luxor, Egypt
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in Small Ruminants in Luxor, Egypt
Shireen S. Aboelwafa¹, Alsagher O. Ali², Rania Hamada³, Hassan Y.A.H. Mahmoud2*
ABSTRACT
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are intracellular protozoan parasites that are distributed worldwide and of major economic importance in the livestock industry especially sheep and goats. Sheep and goats are thought to be biological indicators of environmental contamination with T. gondii and N. caninum oocysts. In addition, in developing countries such as Egypt, where sheep and goat meat is commonly consumed, T. gondii and N. caninum infection in small ruminants may also affect public health risks. So that we estimate the prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum infections in Egyptian small ruminants, by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the seroprevalence in 92 sheep and 92 goats from four districts in Luxor governorate (Al-Qurnah, Armant, At-Tod, Esna). A total of 92 sheep were sampled, of which 37 (40.2%) were positive for T. gondii, six (6.5%) were positive for N. caninum and four (4.3%) were positive for both. Out of 92 tested goats 32 (34.8%) were positive for T. gondii. However, N. caninum was not recorded in examined goats. The highest infection rate of T. gondii for sheep and goats were in Esna (46.7%) and Armant (37.0%) respectively, while the highest result of N. caninum antibody for sheep were at Al-Qurnah (9.4%). Our study also recorded 62.5% from the aborted ewes and 62.8% from the aborted does were seropositive for anti-T. gondii antibody. Moreover, the result of anti-N. caninum antibody in aborted ewes was 8.3%. Significant differences (p value<0.0001) were observed among previously aborted females when evaluated as risk factors for T. gondii infection in both ewes and does. Overall, our study was considered as an initial survey on toxoplasmosis and neosporosis in Luxor governorate also the results of this study showed a broad distribution for both protozoa in evaluated sheep and goat flocks.
Keywords | Protozoan, Parasites, Sheep, Goats, Egypt, ELISA
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