Elmahallawy Ehab Kotb, Hassan Marwa F, Cano-Terriza David, Albalawi Nada Oudah, Fajardo Tomás, Gouda Asmaa Aboelabbas, Atiba Ayman, Hendawy Ahmed, Villena Isabelle, Barakat Ashraf Mohamed, Alzaylaee Hind, Almería Sonia, García-Bocanegra Ignacio
Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Zoonosis (GISAZ), Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 May 19;12:1561145. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1561145. eCollection 2025.
Toxoplasmosis, caused by the intracellular protozoan (), continues to be a widespread parasitic zoonotic disease globally. The seroepidemiology of infection in Egyptian equids, particularly donkeys, remains insufficiently explored. The present study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of in equines from Northern Egypt.
A total of 360 serum samples from two equine species (157 horses and 203 donkeys) were obtained during 2023. The Modified Agglutination Test (MAT, cut-off of 1:25) was used to screen for the anti- antibodies. The study also analyzed potential risk factors that could contribute to the exposure of the animals to the parasite, including species, breed, sex, age, and the specific location of each animal.
The overall seroprevalence of among examined equines was 41.11% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 36.03-46.19). The relationships between seropositivity and explanatory variables were analyzed using a Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) approach. The seroprevalence of was significantly higher in donkeys (51.23%) than in horses (28.03%; < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 2.99; 95% CI: 2.35-3.81).
Collectively, our findings revealed a high exposure among equine species in Northern Egypt, with a notably higher seroprevalence in donkeys compared to horses. This study represents one of the most extensive serosurveys of in equids conducted in Egypt, featuring the largest sample size of donkeys examined to date. It also examined previously unexplored risk factors related to parasite exposure in equids. The present findings highlight the critical importance of performing periodical surveillance, monitoring, and management of the parasite among equids, which might have a major impact on animal and public health.
由细胞内原生动物（）引起的弓形虫病在全球范围内仍然是一种广泛传播的寄生性人畜共患病。埃及马科动物，特别是驴感染弓形虫的血清流行病学仍未得到充分研究。本研究旨在评估埃及北部马科动物中弓形虫的血清阳性率。
2023年期间共采集了来自两个马科物种（157匹马和203头驴）的360份血清样本。采用改良凝集试验（MAT，截断值为1:25）筛选抗弓形虫抗体。该研究还分析了可能导致动物接触该寄生虫的潜在风险因素，包括物种、品种、性别、年龄以及每只动物的具体位置。
在所检查的马科动物中，弓形虫的总体血清阳性率为41.11%（95%置信区间[CI]：36.03 - 46.19）。使用广义估计方程（GEE）方法分析血清阳性与解释变量之间的关系。驴的弓形虫血清阳性率（51.23%）显著高于马（28.03%；<0.001；优势比[OR]=2.99；95%CI：2.35 - 3.81）。
总体而言，我们的研究结果显示埃及北部马科动物中弓形虫暴露率较高，驴的血清阳性率明显高于马。本研究是埃及对马科动物进行的最广泛的弓形虫血清学调查之一，拥有迄今为止检查的最大规模驴样本量。它还研究了此前未探索的与马科动物寄生虫暴露相关的风险因素。目前的研究结果凸显了对马科动物中的寄生虫进行定期监测、监控和管理的至关重要性，这可能对动物和公共卫生产生重大影响。
