Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from Mexico.

Abstract

Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were determined by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples from domestic rabbits from 3 rabbit farms in Mexico. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 77 (26.9%) of 286 animals. On the farm with the higher rearing standards, the seroprevalence was 18.7%, whereas on the farm with medium standards and another managed by a family, seroprevalence was 39.7 and 33.3%, respectively. This report is the first report concerning the prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii in rabbits from Mexico. Although the prevalence found in the present study is within the range reported for other countries, 2 of the farms revealed a relatively high prevalence, which was probably associated with the presence of cats inside rabbit houses.