Gebremedhin Endrias Zewdu, Dima Nura, Beyi Ashenafi Feyisa, Dawo Fufa, Feyissa Negassa, Jorga Edilu, Di Marco Vincenzo, Vitale Maria
Department of Veterinary Laboratory Technology, Ambo University, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, P.O.Box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia.
Department of Clinical Studies, Addis Ababa University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, P.O.Box 34, Bishoftu, Ethiopia.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2016 Dec;48(8):1599-1606. doi: 10.1007/s11250-016-1133-3. Epub 2016 Aug 24.
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most prevalent parasitic infections of medical and veterinary importance. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2013 to January 2014 to estimate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in camels from four districts of Borana zone, Southern Oromia, Ethiopia. In addition, a questionnaire survey was administered to 124 pastoralists to identify possible risk factors and to assess the awareness level of pastoral communities about toxoplasmosis. A total of 396 serum samples were examined for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies using the direct agglutination test (DAT). Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were used for data analysis. An overall seroprevalence of 8.33 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 5.60 %, 11.07 %) at animal-level and 37.5 % (95 % CI: 20.1 %, 57.4 %) at herd-level was found. The seroprevalence was significantly high in Moyale district (23.07 %) followed by Yabello (7.20 %), Dirre (3.77 %), and Arero (0.0 %) districts (P < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the likelihood of acquiring T. gondii infection was significantly higher in camels of Moyale district (adjusted OR = 5.89, 95 % CI 2.15, 16.12; P = 0.001) than Dirre district, in camels of >8 years old (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 4.95, 95 % CI 1.68, 14.55; P = 0.004) than camels of ≤4 years old. There was no significant association between herd-level seroprevalence of T. gondii infection and abortion history, herd size, and presence of domestic cats and wild felids (P > 0.05). The majority of interviewees were uneducated (82.25 %), and all had no knowledge of toxoplasmosis. All camel herders drink raw camel milk but consume cooked meat (90.32 %). Of the interviewees, 93.06 % are aware about soil-eating habit of camels and provide salt supplement for their camels. Majority of the respondents practice improper disposal of aborted materials (throw along the way) (88.70 %), and 73 % of the study participants do not wash their hands after handling aborted fetus. The results of the present study confirm relatively lower prevalence of T. gondii infection in camels reared in Borana zone. Age and study district are significant predictors of T. gondii seropositivity. The vast majorities of interviewed pastoralists were uneducated and practice poor biosecurity measures to prevent diseases. Education of pastoralists about biosecurity measures to prevent toxoplasmosis and further studies are warranted to unravel the economic and public health consequences of T. gondii infection.
弓形虫病是医学和兽医学领域中最普遍的寄生虫感染之一。2013年11月至2014年1月进行了一项横断面研究，以估计埃塞俄比亚奥罗米亚南部博拉纳地区四个区骆驼的弓形虫感染血清阳性率。此外，还对124名牧民进行了问卷调查，以确定可能的风险因素，并评估牧民社区对弓形虫病的认知水平。使用直接凝集试验（DAT）对总共396份血清样本进行抗弓形虫IgG抗体检测。采用Fisher精确检验和逻辑回归进行数据分析。在动物层面，总体血清阳性率为8.33%（95%置信区间[CI]5.60%，11.07%），在畜群层面为37.5%（95%CI：20.1%，57.4%）。血清阳性率在莫亚莱区显著较高（23.07%），其次是亚贝洛区（7.20%）、迪雷区（3.77%）和阿雷罗区（0.0%）（P＜0.001）。多变量逻辑回归分析显示，莫亚莱区的骆驼感染弓形虫的可能性显著高于迪雷区（调整后的OR = 5.89，95%CI 2.15，16.12；P = 0.001），8岁以上的骆驼感染可能性高于4岁及以下的骆驼（调整后的优势比[OR] = 4.95，95%CI 1.68，14.55；P = 0.004）。弓形虫感染的畜群层面血清阳性率与流产史、畜群规模以及家猫和野生猫科动物的存在之间无显著关联（P＞0.05）。大多数受访者未受过教育（82.25%），且均不了解弓形虫病。所有骆驼牧民都饮用生骆驼奶，但食用熟肉（90.32%）。在受访者中，93.06%了解骆驼吃土的习性，并为骆驼补充盐分。大多数受访者对流产材料处理不当（沿途丢弃）（88.70%），73%的研究参与者在处理流产胎儿后不洗手。本研究结果证实，博拉纳地区饲养的骆驼中弓形虫感染率相对较低。年龄和研究区域是弓形虫血清阳性的重要预测因素。绝大多数受访牧民未受过教育，且在预防疾病方面生物安全措施执行不力。有必要对牧民进行预防弓形虫病生物安全措施的教育，并开展进一步研究以阐明弓形虫感染对经济和公共卫生的影响。
