Smallbone Willow A, Chadwick Elizabeth A, Francis Janet, Guy Edward, Perkins Sarah E, Sherrard-Smith Ellie, Cable Joanne
School of Biosciences,Cardiff University,Sir Martin Evans Building,Museum Avenue,Cardiff,CF10 3AX,UK.
Toxoplasma Reference Unit,Public Health Wales Microbiology,Singleton Hospital,Swansea SA2 8QA,UK.
Parasitology. 2017 Sep;144(11):1433-1440. doi: 10.1017/S0031182017000865. Epub 2017 Jun 27.
Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic parasite of global importance, infects all endothermic vertebrates, with extensive health implications. The prevalence of this parasite is seldom monitored in wildlife. Here, a semi-aquatic species, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) was used as a model to assess the potential effect of climate, land cover and biotic factors on T. gondii seroprevalence in British wildlife. The Sabin-Feldman cytoplasm-modifying dye test identified T. gondii antibodies in 25·5% of blood samples from otters found dead, mainly as road kill, in England and Wales, between 2004 and 2010. Otters in the east of England were more likely to be infected with T. gondii than those in western regions. Land cover and temperature are key determinants of T. gondii infection risk, with more infection in arable areas and lower infection where temperatures are higher. The probability of T. gondii infection increased with host age, reflecting cumulative exposure with time, but there was no association between T. gondii seroprevalence and cause of host death.
弓形虫是一种具有全球重要性的人畜共患寄生虫，可感染所有恒温脊椎动物，对健康有广泛影响。野生动物中这种寄生虫的流行情况很少受到监测。在此，以一种半水栖物种——欧亚水獭（Lutra lutra）作为模型，来评估气候、土地覆盖和生物因素对英国野生动物弓形虫血清阳性率的潜在影响。2004年至2010年间，在英格兰和威尔士，通过Sabin - Feldman细胞质改良染料试验，在主要因道路交通事故死亡的水獭的25.5%的血液样本中检测到了弓形虫抗体。英格兰东部的水獭比西部地区的水獭更易感染弓形虫。土地覆盖和温度是弓形虫感染风险的关键决定因素，在耕地地区感染率更高，而在温度较高的地区感染率较低。弓形虫感染的概率随宿主年龄增加而升高，这反映了随着时间的推移接触的累积，但弓形虫血清阳性率与宿主死亡原因之间没有关联。
