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Toxoplasmosis in Northern Regions

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Arctic One Health

Abstract

The apicomplexan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, has a worldwide distribution, and it can infect virtually all warm-blooded animals, including wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Toxoplasma gondii can cause disease, toxoplasmosis, in both humans and animals. It is a parasite of importance for public health, veterinary medicine (food safety, animal production, and welfare), and wildlife conservation, with transmission influenced by environment and host ecology, in short, a poster parasite for One Health. Here, we review what is known about transmission, genetic diversity, prevalence, and health impact of T. gondii in its human and animal hosts and discuss its significance in the Arctic. Since the definitive felid hosts of the parasite are rare above the treeline, transmission cycle of T. gondii remains enigmatic in this specific environment, while its impact on wildlife health and northern food security needs attention. With global climate change and anthropogenic factors affecting the Arctic at higher rates than anywhere else on the planet, research taking a One Health approach is critically needed on the determinants of prevalence and impact of T. gondii, as well as the sources, methods of transmission, and environmental tolerance of T. gondii in the circumpolar North.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Émilie Bouchard, Rajnish Sharma & Emily J. Jenkins

  2. Laboratory of Parasitology, Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Pikka Jokelainen

  3. Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies, Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Heather Fenton

  4. Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    Rajnish Sharma

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  1. Émilie Bouchard
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  2. Pikka Jokelainen
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  3. Rajnish Sharma
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  4. Heather Fenton
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  5. Emily J. Jenkins
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Correspondence to Émilie Bouchard .

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  1. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    Morten Tryland

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Bouchard, É., Jokelainen, P., Sharma, R., Fenton, H., Jenkins, E.J. (2022). Toxoplasmosis in Northern Regions. In: Tryland, M. (eds) Arctic One Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87853-5_13

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