Attademo Fernanda L N, Ribeiro Vanessa O, Soares Herbert S, Luna Fábia O, Sousa Glaucia P, Freire Augusto C B, Gennari Solange M, Alves Leucio C, Marvulo Maria Fernanda V, Dubey Jitender P, Silva Jean C R
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2016 Jun;47(2):423-6. doi: 10.1638/2015-0100.1.
Antillean manatees ( Trichechus manatus manatus) are aquatic mammals that inhabit marine waters from Central America to the northeastern region of Brazil, and they are an endangered species. Infection with Toxoplasma gondii through intake of water or food contaminated with oocysts has been reported among marine mammals. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii in West Indian manatees living in captivity in northeastern Brazil. Serum samples from 55 West Indian manatees from three different captive groups were tested for T. gondii antibodies by means of the modified agglutination test using a cutoff of 1:25. The samples were screened at dilutions of 1:25, 1:50, and 1:500, and positive samples were end-titrated using twofold serial dilutions; antibodies were found in six Antillean manatees (10.9%) with titers of 1:50 in three, 1:500 in one, 1:3,200 in one, and 1:51,200 in one manatee. This study is the first report of T. gondii antibodies in captive Antillean manatees in Brazil.
安的列斯海牛（Trichechus manatus manatus）是一种水生哺乳动物，栖息于从中美洲到巴西东北部地区的海域，属于濒危物种。在海洋哺乳动物中，已有通过摄入被卵囊污染的水或食物而感染刚地弓形虫的报道。本研究旨在评估生活在巴西东北部圈养环境中的西印度海牛体内抗刚地弓形虫抗体的流行情况。采用改良凝集试验，以1:25为临界值，对来自三个不同圈养群体的55头西印度海牛的血清样本进行了刚地弓形虫抗体检测。样本在1:25、1:50和1:500的稀释度下进行筛查，阳性样本通过两倍连续稀释进行最终滴定；在6头安的列斯海牛（10.9%）中发现了抗体，其中3头的滴度为1:50，1头为1:500，1头为1:3200，1头为1:51200。本研究是巴西圈养安的列斯海牛中存在刚地弓形虫抗体情况的首次报告。
