Deksne Gunita, Ligere Bettija, Šneidere Aija, Jokelainen Pikka
1 Institute of Food Safety , Animal Health and Environment "BIOR," Riga, Latvia .
2 Latvian Sheep Breeders Association , Riga, Latvia .
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2017 Jul;17(7):478-482. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2016.2003. Epub 2017 May 10.
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with both public health and veterinary importance. The aims of our study were to estimate the T. gondii seroprevalence in sheep in Latvia and to evaluate potential risk factors for seropositivity. The blood samples investigated were collected from 1039 sheep from 84 farms between January 2012 and April 2013. The sera were tested for immunoglobulin G antibodies against T. gondii using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibodies against T. gondii were detected in 179 (17.2%) of the sheep, and at least one seropositive sheep was found on 37 (44.0%) of the farms. The seroprevalence was significantly higher in adult (over 1 year old) sheep than in juveniles-the adult sheep had 1.8 times higher odds to test seropositive than did the juveniles. The seroprevalence was significantly higher in Latvian Dark Headed sheep than in crossbreed and German Merino sheep. Sheep from large herds (with more than 100 sheep), as well as those from farms with cattle, had higher odds to test seropositive, whereas the presence of poultry on the farm appeared as a protecting factor. The results show that sheep in Latvia are commonly exposed to T. gondii.
刚地弓形虫是一种对公共卫生和兽医领域都具有重要意义的原生动物寄生虫。我们研究的目的是估计拉脱维亚绵羊的刚地弓形虫血清阳性率，并评估血清阳性的潜在风险因素。所调查的血样于2012年1月至2013年4月期间从84个农场的1039只绵羊采集。使用内部酶联免疫吸附试验检测血清中针对刚地弓形虫的免疫球蛋白G抗体。在179只（17.2%）绵羊中检测到针对刚地弓形虫的抗体，并且在37个（44.0%）农场中发现至少有一只血清阳性绵羊。成年（1岁以上）绵羊的血清阳性率显著高于幼年绵羊——成年绵羊血清检测呈阳性的几率是幼年绵羊的1.8倍。拉脱维亚黑头羊的血清阳性率显著高于杂交羊和德国美利奴羊。来自大羊群（超过100只绵羊）的绵羊以及来自有牛的农场的绵羊血清检测呈阳性的几率更高，而农场中家禽的存在似乎是一个保护因素。结果表明，拉脱维亚的绵羊普遍接触刚地弓形虫。
