Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prevalence and risk factors associated to infection by Toxoplasma gondii in ovine in the State of Alagoas, Brazil

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Parasitology Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and to identify risk factors associated to the infection in the three meso-regions of the State of Alagoas, Brazil. A total count of 23 towns and 27 meat sheep farms were visited where blood samples were collected in order to perform the indirect immunofluorescence test to evaluate the antibodies presence. Questionnaires exploring the production system and nutritional, sanitary, and reproduction handling were handed out. The prevalence rate was 32.9% and the number of foci was 100%. In the multivariate statistical analysis, there was a significant association for the following variables: age (OR = 4.01; C.I. 2.03–7.94), size of the property (or the farm; OR = 0.48; C.I. 0.26–0.90), semi-intensive rearing system (OR = 3.17; C.I. 1.24–8.13), running water source (OR = 3.13; C.I.–1.66–5.87), and presence of cats (OR = 1.72; C.I. 1.08–2.75). It is concluded that sheep of the three meso-regions of the State of Alagoas are exposed to the infection caused by T. gondii with high prevalence. Control and prophylactic measures must be adopted seeking the improvement of the rearing system and the implantation of health promoting programs in cooperation with sheep farmers in order to elucidate the transmission means of this disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alves CJ, Vasconcelos SA, Navarro IT, Barbosa CS (1997) Avaliação dos níveis de aglutininas anti-toxoplasma em soros de caprinos de cinco centros de criação do nordeste do Brasil. Rev Bras Cienc Vet 4:75–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Araújo FR, Sarti EC, Balbuena CB, Carvalho CME, Ramos JK (1998) Levantamento sorológico para Toxoplasma gondii em caprinos na microrregião de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. Rev. Ensaios Cienc 2:141–148

    Google Scholar 

  • ASF—Animal Science Facts. Extension Animal Husbandry (2003) Available: <http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/animal/4hyouth/sheep/sheepfacts.htm.> Retrieved in: 20/02/08

  • Assis JS, Alves AL, Nascimento MC (2007) Atlas escolar Alagoas: espaço geo-histórico e cultural. João Pessoa, Grafset

    Google Scholar 

  • Blewett DA (1983) The epidemiology of ovine toxoplasmosis. I. The interpretation of data for the prevalence of antibody in sheep and other host species. Br Vet J 139:537–545

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carneiro ACAV (2006) Soroepidemiologia da toxoplasmose caprina e ovina no Estado de Minas Gerais. Dissertação de Mestrado em Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG

  • Cavalcante ACR (2004) Toxoplasmose caprina no Ceará: soro-epidemiologia e caracterização de cepas de Toxoplasma gondii. Tese de Doutorado em Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG

  • Chiari CA, Lima WS, Antunes CMF, Lima JD (1987) Soro-epidemiologia da Toxoplasmose caprina em Minas Gerais, Brasil. Arq Bras Med Veter Zootec 39:587–609

    Google Scholar 

  • Clementino MM, Souza MF, Andrade Neto VF (2007) Seroprevalence and Toxoplasma gondii–IgG avidity in sheep from Lajes, Brazil. Vet Parasitol 146:199–203

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dias RAF, Freire RL (2005) Surtos de toxoplasmose em seres humanos e animais. Semina: Cienc Agrar 26:239–248

    Google Scholar 

  • Figlioulo LPC, Kasai N, Ragozo AMA, Paula VSO, Dias RA, Souza SLP, Gennari SM (2004) Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondi and anti-Neospora caninium antibodies in ovine from São Paulo State. Brazil Vet Parasit 123:161–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figueiredo JF, Silva DAO, Cabral DD, Mineo JR (2001) Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats by the indirect haemaglutination, immunofluorescence and immunoenzymatic tests in the region of Uberlândia, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 29:687–692

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyre A, Bonino J, Falcón J, Castells O, Correa A (1997) The incidence and economic significance of ovine toxoplasmosis in Uruguay. Vet Parasit 73:13–15

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S (1989) Applied Logistic Regression. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • IBGE—Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. 2005. http://sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.aspz=t&0=21&i=P. Retrieved 03/02/08

  • Jittapalapong S, Sangvaranond A, Pinyopanuwat N, Chimnoi W, Khachaerm W, Koizumi S, Maruyama S (2005) Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic goats in Satun Province, Thailand. Vet Parasit 127:17–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klun I, Djakovic OD, Radivojevic SK, Nicolic A (2006) Cross-sectional survey on Toxoplasma gondii infection in cattle, sheep and pigs in Serbia: seroprevalence and risk factors. Vet Parasit 135:121–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langoni H, Rosa C, Marinho M (1999) Inquérito soroepidemiológico para a toxoplasmose em ovinos no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Biol 61:35–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopes WDZ, Santos RS, Rossanese WM, Santana LF, Santos TR, Costa AJ (2006) Pesquisa de anticorpos contra Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle; Manceaux, 1909) em ovinos do município de Jaboticabal, SP. In. XIV Congresso Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária & 2º Simpósio Latino-Americano de Riquetsioses, Ribeirão Preto. Proceedings. Ribeirão Preto

  • Luzon M, Alonso A, Quintanilla Gozalo A (1997) Etiologia y Biologia: toxoplasmosis. Trat Patol Prod Ovin 52:19–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Machado TMM, Lima JD (1987) Freqüência de anticorpos anti-T. gondii em caprinos criados sob diferentes formas de exploração no Estado de Minas Gerais. Arq Bras Med Vet Zoot 39:255–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Mainar RC, De La Cruz C, Asensio A, Domínguez L, Vázquez-Boland JA (1996) Prevalence of agglutinating antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in small ruminants of the Madrid Region, Spain, and identification of factors influencing seropositivity by multivariate analysis. Vet Res Commun 20:153–159

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nishikawa H, Arnoni JV, Rassier DSS, Silva SS (1984) Prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in domestic animals in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. In: I Encontro de Pesquisas Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Paraná. Proceedings. Londrina

  • Ogawa I, Navarro I, Freire RL, Oliveira RC, Vidotto O (2003) Ocorrência de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii em ovinos da região de Londrina no Estado do Paraná. Semina: Cienc Agrar 4:57–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira MF (2007) Aborto infeccioso em pequenos ruminantes no Estado de Pernambuco: aspectos epidemiológicos, sorológicos, moleculares e anátomo-histopatológicos. Tese de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Brazil

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawadogo P, Hafid J, Bellete B, Sung RT, Chakdi M, Flori P, Raberin H, Hamouni IB, Chait A, Dalal A (2005) Seroprevalence of T. gondii in sheep from Marrakech, Morocco. Vet Parasitol 130:89–92

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silva AV, Cunha ELP, Meireles LR, Gottschalk S, Mota RA, Langoni H (2003) Toxoplasmose em ovinos e caprinos: estudo soroepidemiológico em duas regiões do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. Cienci Rural 33:115–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Skjerve E, Waldeland H, Nesbakken T, Kapperud G (1998) Risk factors for the presence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in Norwegian slaughter lambs. Preventive Vet Med 35:219–227

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stachissini AVM (2005) Toxoplasma gondii e Neospora caninum em caprinos do estado de São Paulo: perfis soro-epidemiológicos e co-infecção com o vírus da artrite-encefalite caprina. Tese de Doutorado em Vigilancia Sanitária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Campus de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”

  • Tenter AM, Heckeroth AR, Weiss LM (2000) Toxoplasma gondii: from animals to humans. Vet Parasitol 30:1217–1258

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thrusfield MV (2004) Epidemiologia Veterinária, 2nd edn. ROCA, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • UFAL/GEM (1994) Universidade Federal de Alagoas. Atlas Geográfico de Estado de Alagoas. Maceió: EDUFAL, Ecopres

  • Uzêda RS, Fernandez SY, Jesus EEV, Pinheiro AM, Ayres MCC, Spinola S, Barbosa Junior HV, Almeida MAO (2004) Fatores relacionados à presença de anticorpos IgG anti-Toxoplasma gondii em caprinos leiteiros do Estado da Bahia. Rev Bras Saúde Prod Anim 5:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Der Puije WNA, Bosompem KM, Canacoo EA, Wastling JM, Akanmori BD (2000) The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in Ghanaian sheep and goats. Acta Tropica 76:21–26

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidade Acadêmica de Garanhuns, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Avenida Bom Pastor, s/n, 55296-901, Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brazil

    José Wilton Pinheiro Jr.

  2. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Garanhuns, PE, Brazil

    Rinaldo Aparecido Mota, Andréa Alice da Fonseca Oliveira & Eduardo Bento Faria

  3. Departamento de Patologia e Clínica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil

    Luis Fernando Pita Gondim

  4. Curso de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Paranaense, Umuarama, PR, Brazil

    Aristeu Vieira da Silva

  5. Center for Higher Education of Maceió, Maceió, AL, Brazil

    Giulliano Aires Anderlini

Authors
  1. José Wilton Pinheiro Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rinaldo Aparecido Mota
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andréa Alice da Fonseca Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Eduardo Bento Faria
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Luis Fernando Pita Gondim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Aristeu Vieira da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Giulliano Aires Anderlini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to José Wilton Pinheiro Jr..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pinheiro, J.W., Mota, R.A., da Fonseca Oliveira, A.A. et al. Prevalence and risk factors associated to infection by Toxoplasma gondii in ovine in the State of Alagoas, Brazil. Parasitol Res 105, 709–715 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1472-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-009-1472-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation