- 期刊
- OpenAccess
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Dairy Cows in Kerman Province, South East Iran
並列摘要
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan that causes the most common parasitic infection in humans. Since the disease is of economic importance with regard to animal productions, it is necessary to investigate the prevalence of T. gondii infection in meat producing animals especially cattle which constitutes the main source of meat for local consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in dairy cows of Kerman region (southeastern Iran) using Modified Agglutination Test (MAT). The sera of 300 dairy cows have been investigated for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii. The results indicated two hundred and fourteen samples (71.3%) were seropositive and 86 samples (28.7%) were seronegative. Out of the 300 cattle (39 male, 261 female) screened, 87% of male and 13% of female cattle were contaminated with toxoplasmosis. Since cows are one of the most important meat sources in Iran, there is a high risk of contamination through meat from this host due to their susceptibility to infection. Further studies are required for more data on the prevalence of T. gondii in other meat producing animals to apply effective control strategies against toxoplasmosis.