Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Toxoplasma infection and retrovirus in pet cats in Rio de Janeiro
By Bastos, Bethânia Ferreira et al.·Published in Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo·2014·Faculdade de Veteriná, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (Nicole & Manceaux, 1909) and retroviral status of client-owned pet cats (Felis catus, Linnaeus, 1758) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study in Rio de Janeiro found that only 5.6% of pet cats tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can be spread through cat feces. Out of 54 cats whose feces were examined, none had the parasite's eggs, which means they weren't shedding it into the environment. The research suggested that male, mixed-breed, and free-roaming cats aged two years and older might be at a higher risk of exposure, but overall, most cats (94.4%) had never been exposed to this parasite. This indicates that while the risk is low in this group, if a cat does become infected, it could pose a risk to others by shedding the parasite.
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Abstract
Cats, as definitive host, play an important role in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii. This study aimed to establish the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii immunoglobulins G and M, and determine the frequency of oocysts in the feces of the domestic cat population in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We also aimed to study the association between T. gondii infection and age, sex, breed, lifestyle, diet and retroviral infection. A total of 108 cats were included in the study and fecal samples of 54 of those cats were obtained. Only 5.6% of the cats were seropositive for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulins using the indirect hemagglutination test. None of the 54 cats presented oocysts in their fecal samples. Although not statistically significant, males, mixed-breed, free-roaming and cats aged two years and older were found to be more exposed. Age, lifestyle and the use of litter boxes were found to play an important role as risk factors. Anemia and retroviral infections were independent of T. gondii infection. No antibodies were detected in the majority of cats (94.4%), indicating that those cats had never been exposed to the parasite and, therefore, once infected, they could present the risk of shedding large numbers of oocysts into the environment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24878997/