The sero-prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in British marine mammals

Abstract

Serum samples from 101 stranded or bycatch cetaceans from British waters were screened for Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies using the Sabin Feldman Dye Test. Relatively high seropositivity was recorded in short-beaked Delphinus delphis and this study presents the first documented case of Toxoplasma in a humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae.

Keywords

• cetacean
• conservation
• environmental contamination
• protozoa
• toxoplasmosis