Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in breeding pigs in Estonia

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Documents

  • Azzurra Santoro
  • Maarja Tagel
  • Kärt Must
  • Miia Laine
  • Brian Lassen
  • Pikka Jokelainen

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread occurring parasite infecting warm-blooded animals, including pigs and humans. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies and to evaluate risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity in breeding pigs raised in Estonia. Sera from 382 pigs were tested with a commercial direct agglutination test, using a cut-off titer of 40 for seropositivity, for the presence of anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies. Results: Twenty-two (5.8%) of the 382 pigs tested seropositive for T. gondii, and 6 of the 14 herds had at least one seropositive pig. The proportion of seropositive pigs within the herds ranged between 0 and 43%. Gender appeared as a significant factor, with sows having 5.6 times higher odds to be seropositive to T. gondii than boars. Seroprevalence did not increase with age. Conclusions: Anti-T. gondii antibodies were present in a substantial proportion of breeding pig herds in Estonia. On the other hand, the presence of herds without seropositive pigs illustrates that porcine T. gondii infections can be avoided even in a country where the parasite is endemic and common in several other host species.

Original languageEnglish
Article number82
JournalActa Veterinaria Scandinavica
Volume59
Number of pages8
ISSN0044-605X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2017

    Research areas

  • Breeding herd, Epidemiology, Porcine, Serology, Sus scrofa domesticus, Swine, Toxoplasmosis, Zoonosis

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