| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 697.45 KB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are obligate intracellular protozoan parasites infecting a wide range of hosts worldwide. However, information on the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis
and neosporosis in cats from Portugal is limited. Thus, this study aims to evaluate anti-T. gondii and
anti-N. caninum seroprevalence in client-owned cats from Portugal and to identify risk factors using a
panel of well-characterized sera. A total of 183 domestic cats were sampled and screened for antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum using commercial ELISA assays, and their owners answered
an online questionnaire designed to obtain background information. The overall anti-T. gondii and
anti-N. caninum seroprevalences were 13.1% (CI: 8.97–18.77) and 3.8% (CI: 1.87–7.68), respectively.
Univariate analysis revealed that living strictly indoors was a significant protection factor (cOR:
0.053; CI: 0.005–0.627), and the presence of a chronic disease a significant risk factor (cOR: 3.106; CI:
1.062–9.082) to T. gondii seroprevalence. When performing multivariate analysis, only chronic disease
(aOR: 57.527; CI: 1.7–1976.7) and seropositivity to N. caninum (aOR: 7.929; CI:0.8–82.9) were found to
be a significant risk factor to anti-T. gondii antibodies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
report of N. caninum seropositivity in cats from Portugal.
Description
Keywords
toxoplasmosis neosporosis seroprevalence risk factors Felis catus
Citation
Pereira, M.A.; Nóbrega, C.; Mateus, T.L.; Almeida, D.; Oliveira, A.; Coelho, C.; Cruz, R.; Oliveira, P.; Faustino-Rocha, A.; Pires, M.J.; et al. An Antibody-Based Survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infection in Client-Owned Cats from Portugal. Animals 2023, 13, 2327. https://