Abstract
Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is a cosmopolitan protozoon parasite, and the causative agent of tox-oplasmosis, one of the most prevalent zoonotic parasitic diseases. Cats, as definitive hosts, spread the parasite via their faeces, but this occurs only for a very short period in their life. Seropositivity in cats, although not associated with current shedding of the parasite, is indicative of the infection in a cat population and can be used to assess the infection risk for definitive and intermediate hosts in that area. In order to assess the prevalence of infection in cats living in Cyprus, 155 cats, orig-inating from all districts of the country, were examined for the presence of T. gondii antibodies. Additionally, parameters such as age, sex, health status, lifestyle and concomitant infections were statistically assessed as potential risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity. Specific anti-T. gondii an-tibodies were detected in 50 (32.3%) cats, while the presence of feline immunodeficiency virus antibodies and a history of never having been vaccinated were statistically associated with T. gondii seropositivity on multivariate logistic regression analysis. This is the first report of T. gondii se-roprevalence in cats in Cyprus and indicates that raised public awareness should be considered to prevent infection of animals and humans.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 882 |
| Journal | Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Jul 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding: C.A. is a Wellcome Trust Clinical Ph.D. Fellow (203919/Z/16/Z) and the open access publication fees have been sponsored by Wellcome Trust.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Keywords
- Cyprus; domestic cat; seroprevalence; Toxoplasma gondii
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