Prevalence of Toxoplasmosis in Sheep and Goats in Pakistan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Tanzila Mumtaz,
Usman Ayub Awan,
Aqsa Mushtaq,
Muhmmad Sohail Afzal,
Tahir Mahmood,
Samia Wasif,
Abid Ali,
Kiran Ajmal,
Teroj Mohamed,
Ali Muhammad,
Hua Liu,
Haroon Ahmed,
Jianping Cao
Affiliations
Tanzila Mumtaz
Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Park Road, Chakh Shahzad, Islamabad 22620, Pakistan
Usman Ayub Awan
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, The University of Haripur, Haripur 31261, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Aqsa Mushtaq
Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Park Road, Chakh Shahzad, Islamabad 22620, Pakistan
Muhmmad Sohail Afzal
Department of Life Sciences, School of Science, University of Management & Technology (UMT), Lahore 22209, Punjab, Pakistan
Tahir Mahmood
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Computing and Mathematics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Samia Wasif
Department of Humanities, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Abid Ali
Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Kiran Ajmal
Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Park Road, Chakh Shahzad, Islamabad 22620, Pakistan
Teroj Mohamed
Dental Basic Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, University of Duhok, AJ Duhok 1006, Iraq
Ali Muhammad
Department of Zoology, University of Poonch (UOP), Rawlakot 12350, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
Hua Liu
National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
Haroon Ahmed
Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Park Road, Chakh Shahzad, Islamabad 22620, Pakistan
Jianping Cao
National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China
Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, results in congenital disorders and miscarriages among livestock and humans worldwide. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection in sheep and goats in Pakistan from 2000 to 2020. We searched the PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases and selected 17 publications that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Eight studies were conducted in Southern Punjab, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two in Northern Punjab, and one in Central Punjab. The diagnostic tests used in the included articles to confirm toxoplasmosis were the latex agglutination test in 56% of the studies, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 38%, and the indirect hemagglutination assay in 6%. The infection rates were substantially higher among sheep > 1 year of age (37%) than among sheep ≤ 1 year old (19%). Statistically significant differences in infection rates were found between male and female sheep and goats. The overall infection rate by age was also significant among sheep and goats. Sex and age variability between sheep investigations were significant, and sex heterogeneity and age homogeneity were significant among goats. Hence, robust infection control protocols should be implemented to prevent infection in animals and humans.
