Seroepidemiological study of Toxoplasma gondii in equids in different European countries
Cano-Terriza, David (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas)
Franco, J.J. (Inmunología y Genética Aplicada.EUROFINS - INGENASA)
José Cunilleras, Eduard (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Buono, F. (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions)
Almería de la Merced, Sonia (Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety and Nutrition)
Veneziano, V. (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions)
Alguacil, Eduardo (Uplands Way Vets)
García, Jesús (Fethard Equine Hospital)
Villena, Isabelle (University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne. National Reference Centre for Toxoplasmosis)
Dubey, Jitender P. (United States Department of Agriculture. Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory)
Jiménez-Martín, Débora (Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Sanidad Animal)
García-Bocanegra, Ignacio (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas)

Data:	2023
Resum:	Toxoplasmosis, caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is a worldwide parasitic zoonosis. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the exposure to T. gondii in equids in Europe. Serum samples from 1399 equids (1085 horses, 238 donkeys, and 76 mules/hinnies) bred in four European countries (Italy, Spain, United Kingdom [UK], and Ireland) were collected during the period of 2013-2021. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 18. 9% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 16. 9-21. 0) by using the modified agglutination test (MAT) at a cut-off of 1:25. Seropositivity by country was 27. 1% in Italy, 16. 6% in Spain, 12. 0% in UK and 7. 0% in Ireland. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected in 12. 8% of the horses, 43. 7% of the donkeys, and in 28. 9% of the mules/hinnies. A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) analysis was carried out to study the associations between seropositivity and explanatory variables related to individuals, herds, and management measures on these herds, selected based on the bivariate analysis. The risk for being seropositive for T. gondii was 5. 3 and 2. 7 times higher in donkeys and mules/hinnies than in horses, respectively. In addition, significantly higher seropositivity was observed in horses from herds that used disinfectants less than once a week (13. 9%; p = 0. 038, odds ratio [OR] = 1. 6; 95% CI: 1. 03-2. 62) compared with those from herds that performed weekly disinfection of the facilities (9. 4%). This is the first large-scale seroepidemiological study on T. gondii comprising horses, donkeys, and mules/hinnies in Europe and the first report of T. gondii exposure in horses from Ireland and UK. We found a widespread distribution of T. gondii among equid populations in different European countries. The seroprevalence found in these species, especially in donkeys and mules/hinnies, highlights the potential risk of human infection through the consumption of their raw/undercooked milk or meat.
Nota:	This research was supported by CIBER -Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red- (CB), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Unión Europea - NextGenerationEU. D. Jiménez-Martín holds a PhD. contract granted by Own Research Plan of the University of Cordoba. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Córdoba/CBUA.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Equids ; Food-borne pathogens ; Toxoplasmosis ; Zoonosis
Publicat a:	Zoonoses and Public Health, Vol. 70 Núm. 3 (may 2023) , p. 276-283, ISSN 1863-2378

DOI: 10.1111/zph.13026
PMID: 36688475

8 p, 1.3 MB

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