Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in wildlife: common parasites in Belgian foxes and Cervidae?

S De Craeye, N Speybroeck, D Ajzenberg, ML Dardé, F Collinet, P Tavernier, S Van Gucht, P Dorny, K Dierick

    Research output: Contribution to journalA1: Web of Science-articlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Sera from Cervidae were tested for the presence of antibodies against Neospora caninum using ELISA; and against Toxoplasma gondii using SAG1-ELISA and a commercially available agglutination test. The T. gondii seroprevalence was 52% (38/73) in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 0% in bred fallow deer (0/4) (Dama dama) and red deer (0/7) (Cervus elaphus). We found 2.7% of the roe deer samples and none of the bred deer samples positive for N. caninum. Brain samples from wild roe deer, red deer and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were tested for the presence of T. gondii and N. caninum DNA using multiplex real-time PCR. We detected T. gondii in 18.8% (57/304) of the red foxes and in 1 of the 33 deer samples. N. caninum was found in 6.6% of the red foxes and in 2 roe deer samples. Twenty-six of the T. gondii positive DNA extracts from the red fox samples were genotyped. Twenty-five were type II and only one was found to be type III.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalVeterinary Parasitology
    Volume178
    Issue number1-2
    Pages (from-to)64-69
    Number of pages6
    ISSN0304-4017
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

    Keywords

    • B780-tropical-medicine
    • Animal diseases
    • Toxoplasmosis
    • Toxoplasma gondii
    • Neospora caninum
    • Wildlife
    • Foxes
    • Deer
    • Prevalence
    • Molecular epidemiology
    • Testing
    • Antibodies
    • ELISA
    • Agglutination tests
    • Multiplex PCR
    • Genotyping
    • Belgium
    • Europe-West

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