The protozoon Toxoplasma gondii has a worldwide distribution and affects many species of warm-blooded animals. In the Canadian prairies, mesocarnivores such as striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) have experienced an increase in density and distribution, and they are in close contact with human dwellings. However, there has been no systematic study on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in these mesocarnivore populations. The objectives of the current project were to determine the serum antibody prevalence of T. gondii in Canadian prairie mesocarnivores and to study the relationship between antibody prevalence and species, sex, age, location, and year of collection. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 5 of 24 (20.8%) skunks from Saskatchewan trapped in 1999 and 5 of 40 (12.5%) in 2000. Seroprevalences for T. gondii in raccoons and skunks trapped in Manitoba were 2 of 10 (20%) raccoons trapped in 2002, 7 of 44 (15.9%) trapped in 2003, and 16 of 37 (43.2%) trapped in 2004; and in 13 of 99 (13.1%) skunks trapped in 2003, 29 of 131 (22.1%) trapped in 2004, 53 of 165 (32.1%) trapped in 2005, and 30 of 51 (58.8%) trapped in 2006. Age, location, and year, but not the host species, were important variables in the determining the seroprevalence of T. gondii in skunks and raccoons. Results confirm that T. gondii is endemic in the skunk and raccoon populations in the Canadian prairies.
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December 2007
IMMUNOLOGY|
December 01 2007
SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN MESOCARNIVORES OF THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES
Y. T. Hwang;
Y. T. Hwang
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada. [email protected]
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J. A. Pitt;
J. A. Pitt
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada. [email protected]
* Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Z-907 Biological Sciences Buildings, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
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T. W. Quirk;
T. W. Quirk
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada. [email protected]
† Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E7, Canada
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J. P. Dubey
J. P. Dubey
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada. [email protected]
‡ To whom correspondence should be addressed. Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, BARC-East, Building 1001, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350
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J Parasitol (2007) 93 (6): 1370–1373.
Citation
Y. T. Hwang, J. A. Pitt, T. W. Quirk, J. P. Dubey; SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII IN MESOCARNIVORES OF THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES. J Parasitol 1 December 2007; 93 (6): 1370–1373. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-1319.1
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