Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infections in Stray Cats and Dogs in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area, China

Jinfang Yang; Jingkai Ai; Tongsheng Qi; Xiaomin Ni; Zichun Xu; Liangting Guo; Yali Sun; Ying Li; Ming Kang; Jixu Li

doi:10.3390/ani12111390

Animals (May 2022)

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infections in Stray Cats and Dogs in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area, China

Jinfang Yang,
Jingkai Ai,
Tongsheng Qi,
Xiaomin Ni,
Zichun Xu,
Liangting Guo,
Yali Sun,
Ying Li,
Ming Kang,
Jixu Li

Affiliations

Jinfang Yang: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Jingkai Ai: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Tongsheng Qi: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Xiaomin Ni: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Zichun Xu: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Liangting Guo: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Yali Sun: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Ying Li: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Ming Kang: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Jixu Li: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111390
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 11
p. 1390

Abstract

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Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum belong to the Apicomplexan protozoa which is an obligate intracellular parasite, causing toxoplasmosis and neosporosis throughout the world. Cats and dogs are the definitive hosts of these two parasites. However, information on the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis and neosporosis in stray cats and dogs in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area (QTPA) is limited, and little is known about the diversity of the diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform indirect ELISA tests based on recombinant TgSAG1, TgGRA1, NcSAG1 and NcGRA7 proteins to establish a detailed record of the seroprevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum-specific IgG and IgM antibodies in serum samples and to develop qPCR amplification based on TgB1 and NcNc5 genes to conduct molecular epidemiology in feces from stray cats and dogs in the QTPA. In the current study, a total of 128 cat serum samples were analyzed through serological tests in which 53 (41.4%) and 57 (44.5%) samples were found positive for T. gondii specific-IgG and IgM antibodies, and 2 (1.6%) and 74 (57.8%) samples were confirmed positive for N. caninum specific-IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Out of 224 stray dog sera, 59.8% and 58.9% were recorded as positive against anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies, 17.9% and 64.7% were detected positive against Neospora IgG and IgM. On the other hand, 1 of 18 cat fecal samples was successfully amplified within the Ct value of 10 to 30 while no cat was positive for neosporosis. Moreover, a higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis in stray dogs (14.5%, 16/110) than of neosporosis (5.5%, 6/110) with different parasite numbers were found. Further analysis showed that no significant sex differences were found nor between the overall infection rates of T. gondii and N. caninum in this study. This study suggests that stray cats and dogs play key roles in the transmission and prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum in the plateau area.

Published in Animals

ISSN: 2076-2615 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Animal culture: Veterinary medicine; Science: Zoology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/

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