Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and associated risk factors in cats from Lima, Peru.

ABSTRACT

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonotic disease worldwide caused by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Cats, being hosts, act as a good sentinel for this disease. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in cats by examining serum from seven districts of Metropolitan Lima, Peru. We collected and analyzed 303 cat serum samples, and the owners answered a questionnaire about age, gender, lifestyle (indoors only and outdoors access) and feeding (commercial and home food). The samples were tested using indirect hemagglutination (IHA) for detection of antibody IgM and IgG. Among the animals analyzed, we found 52 (17.2%, 95% CI 13.1% - 21.9%) seropositive cats to T. gondii, of which one corresponded to acute infection (IgM) and 51 to chronic infections (IgG). In addition, the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was associated with feeding commercial food and living outdoors access. Our results concluded that T. gondii infections are common in cats with owners in Metropolitan Lima and will be useful to future epidemiological studies.