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Toxocara spp. seroprevalence in sheep from southern Brazil

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Abstract

Visceral toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis that occurs through the ingestion of embryonated Toxocara spp. eggs. A wide range of animal species can act as paratenic hosts for this ascarid. The main risk factor for humans is the ingestion of the eggs from contaminated soil; however, infection can also occur through the ingestion of contaminated raw or undercooked infected meat from paratenic hosts. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of Toxocara spp.-specific antibodies in sheep and to determine the risk factors associated with the infection of sheep in Rio Grande do Sul (a major sheep-producing and sheep-consuming state) in southern Brazil. Serum samples collected from 1,642 sheep were tested using an IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on the excretory–secretory Toxocara canis antigen. Seroprevalence was 29.0 % (477/1,642), and every farm included in the study contained at least one seropositive animal. These results indicate that T. canis infection is widely distributed among sheep herds in Rio Grande do Sul and that it represents a potential risk to human health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, UFPel, Pelotas, Brazil

    Gabriela Lopes Rassier, Felipe Pappen, Tiago Gallina, Marcos Marreiro Villela, Nara Amélia da Rosa Farias & Maria Elisabeth Aires Berne

  2. Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico, Núcleo Biotecnologia, UFPel, Campus Universitário, s/n, Caixa Postal 354, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, 96010-900, Brazil

    Sibele Borsuk & Maria Elisabeth Aires Berne

  3. Departamento de Patologia, Fundação Universidade de Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Carlos Jaime Scaini

  4. Centro de Pesquisa Pecuária Sul, EMBRAPA, Bagé, Brazil

    Magda Vieira Benavides

Authors
  1. Gabriela Lopes Rassier
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  2. Sibele Borsuk
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  3. Felipe Pappen
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  4. Carlos Jaime Scaini
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  5. Tiago Gallina
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  6. Marcos Marreiro Villela
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  7. Nara Amélia da Rosa Farias
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  8. Magda Vieira Benavides
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  9. Maria Elisabeth Aires Berne
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Sibele Borsuk or Maria Elisabeth Aires Berne.

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Rassier, G.L., Borsuk, S., Pappen, F. et al. Toxocara spp. seroprevalence in sheep from southern Brazil. Parasitol Res 112, 3181–3186 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3499-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3499-8

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