Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Toxoplasma antibodies found in 38% of dogs in northeastern Portugal
By Lopes, A P et al.·Published in The Journal of parasitology·2011·Department of Veterinary Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in dogs from northeastern Portugal.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 38% of dogs in northeastern Portugal tested positive for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause health issues. Factors that increased the risk of infection included being over a year old, eating birds or small mammals, living outdoors, eating home-cooked meals, and consuming raw meat or organs. While the study didn't focus on treatment, it suggests that pet owners should be cautious about their dog's diet and living conditions to reduce the risk of infection.
People also search for: dog Toxoplasma infection symptoms · raw meat diet risks for dogs · how to prevent parasites in dogs
Abstract
Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii was investigated in 673 domestic dogs from northeastern Portugal, using the modified agglutination test (MAT) with 1 : 20 as cutoff for seropositivity; antibodies were found in 256 dogs (38.0%). Differences between seroprevalence levels in males (36.7%) and females (41.8%) and between pure-breed (42.1%) and mixed-breed dogs (35.2%) were not statistically significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified age above 12 mo (odds ratio [OR]  =  4.0), chance of eating birds or small mammals (OR  =  4.0), housing exclusively outdoors (OR  =  1.5), home-cooked meals (OR  =  3.0), and eating raw meat or viscera (OR  =  7.7) as risk factors for the canine T. gondii infection. Some control measures are suggested based on these findings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21506866/