Seroprevalence of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> among Sylvatic Rodents in Poland

oleh: Maciej Grzybek, Daniela Antolová, Katarzyna Tołkacz, Mohammed Alsarraf, Jolanta Behnke-Borowczyk, Joanna Nowicka, Jerzy Paleolog, Beata Biernat, Jerzy M. Behnke, Anna Bajer

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-04-01

Deskripsi

<i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an intracellular Apicomplexan parasite with a broad range of intermediate hosts, including humans and rodents. Rodents are considered to be reservoirs of infection for their predators, including cats, felids, pigs, and wild boars. We conducted a multi-site, long-term study on <i>T. gondii</i> in northeastern Poland. The study aimed to monitor the seroprevalence of <i>T. gondii</i> in the four abundant vole species found in the region (<i>Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus agrestis</i>, and <i>Alexandromys oeconomus</i>) and to assess the influence of both extrinsic (year of study and study site) and intrinsic (host sex and host age) factors on seroprevalence. A bespoke enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect antibodies against <i>T. gondii</i>. We examined 577 rodent individuals and detected <i>T. gondii</i> antibodies in the sera of all four rodent species with an overall seroprevalence of 5.5% [4.2–7.3] (3.6% [2.6–4.9] for <i>M. glareolus</i> and 20% [12–30.9] for <i>M. arvalis</i>, <i>M. agrestis</i>, and <i>A. oeconomus</i>). Seroprevalence in bank voles varied significantly between host age and sex. Seroprevalence increased with host age and was higher in females than males. These results contribute to our understanding of the distribution and abundance of <i>T. gondii</i> in voles in Poland and confirm that <i>T. gondii</i> also circulates in <i>M. glareolus</i> and <i>M. arvalis</i>, <i>M. agrestis</i> and <i>A. oeconomus</i>. Therefore, they may potentially play a role as reservoirs of this parasite in the sylvatic environment.