Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
Chongqing Three Gorges Vocational College, Chongqing, 404155, China.
BMC Vet Res. 2022 Sep 1;18(1):331. doi: 10.1186/s12917-022-03427-w.
Toxoplasma gondii infects almost all warm-blooded animals, and cats play a crucial role in the epidemiology of T. gondii as the definitive host. Despite sporadic reports on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in domestic cats, systematic surveys are lacking and some regions remain in China uninvestigated.
A total of 1,521 serum samples were collected from 10 regions of China and analyzed by antibodies against T. gondii by ELISA with the purpose of identifying risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats across China and obtaining seroprevalence data from some previously uninvestigated areas.
Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 62 of 1,478 (4.2%) urban pet cats and in 9 of 43 (20.9%) stray cats. Among the regions examined, the prevalence was 13% in Sichuan, 12.8% in Chongqing, 6.4% in Hunan, 2.5% in Hubei and 0.9% in Guangdong. Additionally, this is the first report on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in urban pet cats from Qinghai (6.2%), Anhui (3.1%), Jiangxi (2.5%), Shaanxi (2.4%) and Ningxia (1.6%). The age and lifestyle (stray or pet) of cats were identified as the risk factors for seropositivity by multivariate analysis of the data.
Our findings improve our understanding of seroprevalence and risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats across China, and provide useful information for the formulating of preventive and control measures against this widespread zoonotic parasite.
刚地弓形虫感染几乎所有温血动物，而猫作为终末宿主在刚地弓形虫的流行病学中起着至关重要的作用。尽管有关于家猫刚地弓形虫血清流行率的零星报道，但缺乏系统调查，中国的一些地区仍未被调查。
从中国 10 个地区共采集了 1521 份血清样本，通过 ELISA 检测抗刚地弓形虫抗体，目的是确定中国各地猫感染刚地弓形虫的危险因素，并从一些以前未被调查的地区获得血清流行率数据。
在 1478 只城市宠物猫中有 62 只（4.2%）和 43 只流浪猫中有 9 只（20.9%）检测到抗刚地弓形虫抗体。在所检查的地区中，四川的流行率为 13%，重庆为 12.8%，湖南为 6.4%，湖北为 2.5%，广东为 0.9%。此外，这是首次报告青海（6.2%）、安徽（3.1%）、江西（2.5%）、陕西（2.4%）和宁夏（1.6%）城市宠物猫的刚地弓形虫血清流行率。多因素数据分析表明，猫的年龄和生活方式（流浪或宠物）是血清阳性的危险因素。
我们的研究结果提高了对中国各地猫感染刚地弓形虫血清流行率和危险因素的认识，为制定针对这种广泛流行的人畜共患寄生虫的预防和控制措施提供了有用的信息。
