Ahlers A A, Wolf T M, Aarrestad O, Windels S K, Olson B T, Matykiewicz B R, Dubey J P
Kansas State University, Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources, 1712 Claflin Road, Manhattan, Kansas 66506.
University of Minnesota, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, 1988 Fitch Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108.
J Parasitol. 2020 Jun 1;106(3):346-349. doi: 10.1645/19-126.
Waterborne transmission of Toxoplasma gondii is assumed to be enhanced in areas with human-altered landscapes (e.g., urbanization, agriculture) and increased populations of non-native domestic and feral cats (Felis catus). However, little is known concerning T. gondii exposure risks in more natural watersheds (e.g., reduced human footprint, no domestic or feral cats) to establish a baseline for comparisons. In this study, muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) were used as sentinels to assess baseline T. gondii exposure in a relatively pristine watershed in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, northern Minnesota, during the summers of 2018-2019. Toxoplasma gondii antibodies were assayed in sera of live-trapped muskrats (n = 70) using a modified agglutination test. None of our samples were positive for T. gondii antibodies (P = 0.00, 95% Wald Score Confidence Interval = 0.00-0.05). This study establishes a baseline to compare T. gondii waterborne transmission risks in other human-modified watersheds.
在人类活动改变的景观区域（如城市化、农业地区）以及非本地家猫和野猫（家猫）数量增加的情况下，人们认为弓形虫的水传播会增强。然而，对于在更自然的流域（如人类足迹减少、没有家猫或野猫）中弓形虫的暴露风险了解甚少，以便建立一个比较基准。在本研究中，2018 - 2019年夏季，麝鼠（麝鼠属）被用作哨兵，以评估明尼苏达州北部大旅行者生态系统中一个相对原始的流域内弓形虫的基线暴露情况。使用改良凝集试验对活捉的麝鼠（n = 70）血清中的弓形虫抗体进行检测。我们的样本中没有一个弓形虫抗体呈阳性（P = 0.00，95% 瓦尔德评分置信区间 = 0.00 - 0.05）。本研究建立了一个基准，用于比较其他人类改造流域中弓形虫的水传播风险。
