A 2-Year Longitudinal Seroepidemiological Evaluation of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> Antibodies in a Cohort of Autochthonous Sheep from Central Portugal

(1) Background: <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an important zoonosis and one of the major causes of abortion in sheep worldwide. (2) Methods: We performed a 2-year longitudinal serological anti-<i>T. gondii</i> IgG screening on a cohort of a spatially confined population of a Po...

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Main Authors: Daniela Almeida, João Quirino, Patrícia Ferreira Barradas, Priscilla Gomes da Silva, Maria Pereira, Rita Cruz, Carla Santos, Ana Cristina Mega, Fernando Esteves, Carmen Nóbrega, Helena Vala, Fátima Gärtner, Irina Amorim, João R. Mesquita
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/1/40
Description
Summary:(1) Background: <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an important zoonosis and one of the major causes of abortion in sheep worldwide. (2) Methods: We performed a 2-year longitudinal serological anti-<i>T. gondii</i> IgG screening on a cohort of a spatially confined population of a Portuguese autochthonous sheep breed in central Portugal. (3) Results: From the screening of the 2015 and 2016 sera, an increase of seroprevalence was observed (57.7% (95% CI: 49.9–65.3%) versus 69.1% (95% CI: 61.5–75.9), from 2015 and 2016, respectively) (<i>p</i> = 0.031). (4) Conclusions The present study is the first to provide prospective data on the anti-<i>T. gondii</i> serological status of a sheep cohort in Portugal, showing an increase in the occurrence of <i>T. gondii</i>. There is a need to provide a clearer understanding of <i>T. gondii</i> epidemiology in Portugal, ideally by implementing monitoring programs on sentinel herds, not only due to the high impact of <i>T. gondii</i> on animal health but also for it being a zoonosis.
ISSN:2076-0817