Toxoplasma gondii infection in Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) in China.

Camel is important to the economy of many countries. We report Toxoplasma gondii infection in Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), first for this host. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in sera of 7 of 234 C. bactrianus from Qinghai Province, northwestern China. Sera were tested by a commercial indirect hemagglutination test at a cut-off of 1:64. Age or the gender of the camel did not significantly affect the seroprevalence. Results are of public health and economic importance because camel milk and meat are used for human consumption in many countries, including China.