Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in sparrows (Passer domesticus) in the Northeast of Brazil.
Vet Parasitol
; 168(1-2): 121-4, 2010 Feb 26.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19879051
ABSTRACT
Toxoplasma gondii is a cosmopolitan protozoan parasite of warm-blooded animals that causes high rates of infection in mammals and birds. Sparrows (Passer domesticus) are synantropic birds which are distributed worldwide. They serve as intermediate hosts for the parasite but are quite resistant to toxoplasmosis. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of T. gondii infection in sparrows using serologic and molecular tests, and to investigate related parasites, such as Neospora caninum and Hammondia sp., using a nested PCR for Toxoplasmatinae DNA followed by sequence analysis of the PCR amplicons. A total of 293 sparrows were trapped at the states of Bahia and Pernambuco, Brazil. Tissues of 40 animals were available for molecular tests. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 1.02% (3/293) of animals using a hemagglutination test, with titers ranging from 132 to 1128. Toxoplasmatinae DNA was detected in 10/40 (25%) sparrows; after nucleotide sequencing, T. gondii was confirmed in 7/40 (17.5%) birds and N. caninum in 3/40 (7.5%) animals. Sparrows from Brazil were confirmed as intermediate hosts of T. gondii, that reinforces the potential importance of these birds on the transmission of the parasite to cats and other animals that may predate sparrows. In addition, N. caninum was detected for the first time in sparrows. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first wild synantropic bird species identified as intermediate host of N. caninum. These findings seem to have a great epidemiologic impact because of the cosmopolitan distribution of sparrows and due to their increasing population in urban and rural areas.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Contexto em Saúde:
3_ND
Problema de saúde:
3_neglected_diseases
/
3_zoonosis
Assunto principal:
Toxoplasma
/
Doenças das Aves
/
Toxoplasmose Animal
/
Coccidiose
/
Neospora
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Vet Parasitol
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil