Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep and goats.

摘要

The aim of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep and goats kept at a farm in Poland and to study the interactions between seropositivity and the animals' body weight, age and reproduction results. The study included 41 sheep and 35 goats. All animals were adult females. The indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) was used to detect antibodies (IgG + IgM) in the sera. Titres >=8 were considered as positive. Moreover, in the cases of positive sera a test for IgM was conducted. The antibodies for T. gondii were found in 53.65% of the investigated sheep, but IgM was not found in any sheep. Infected sheep gave birth to heavier lambs, but their litters were smaller. Any other feature of the sheep was connected with T. gondii infection. All studied goats were seronegative. These results are different from those obtained in a previously published study on the prevalence of T. gondii in goats in Poland. Research on the prevalence of this parasite in sheep and goats should therefore be continued.