Toxoplasma gondii is a major neglected parasitic infection occurring in settings of extreme poverty in Africa. Apart from causing reproductive failure in animals it is also a significant zoonotic concern. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs in the southeast of South Africa, of which little is known. Sera was obtained from 601 domestic animals including 109 cats, 137 chickens, 128 goats, 121 sheep and 106 pigs managed under different production systems in different agro-ecological regions and evaluated by the Toxoreagent, a latex agglutination test for T. gondii antibody detection. Household-level and animal-level data were collected by interviewing animal owners and/or herders using a closed-ended questionnaire. The study revealed an overall farm seroprevalence of 83.33% (125/150 farms) with the highest rate of infection for the parasite found in sheep with 64.46% (78/121), followed by goats with 53.91% (69/128), pigs with 33.96% (36/106), cats with 32.11% (35/109 cats) and chickens with 33.58% (46/137). The risk factors that were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) to different species of seropositivites were age, location, climate, animal production system, rodent control, seropositive cat, cat-feed access and cat faecal disposal. The relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii detected in this region suggests that domestic animals may pose a substantial public health risk through the consumption of T. gondii-infected raw meat as well as via contact with cat faeces.

Toxoplasma gondii is a major neglected parasitic infection occurring in settings of extreme poverty in Africa. Apart from causing reproductive failure in animals it is also a significant zoonotic concern. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs in the southeast of South Africa, of which little is known. Sera was obtained from 601 domestic animals including 109 cats, 137 chickens, 128 goats, 121 sheep and 106 pigs managed under different production systems in different agro-ecological regions and evaluated by the Toxoreagent, a latex agglutination test for T. gondii antibody detection. Household-level and animal-level data were collected by interviewing animal owners and/or herders using a closed-ended questionnaire. The study revealed an overall farm seroprevalence of 83.33% (125/150 farms) with the highest rate of infection for the parasite found in sheep with 64.46% (78/121), followed by goats with 53.91% (69/128), pigs with 33.96% (36/106), cats with 32.11% (35/109 cats) and chickens with 33.58% (46/137). The risk factors that were found to be statistically significant (p 0.05) to different species of seropositivites were age, location, climate, animal production system, rodent control, seropositive cat, cat-feed access and cat faecal disposal. The relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii detected in this region suggests that domestic animals may pose a substantial public health risk through the consumption of T. gondii-infected raw meat as well as via contact with cat faeces.

International audience | Toxoplasma gondii is a major neglected parasitic infection occurring in settings of extreme poverty in Africa. Apart from causing reproductive failure in animals it is also a significant zoonotic concern. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs in the southeast of South Africa, of which little is known. Sera was obtained from 601 domestic animals including 109 cats, 137 chickens, 128 goats, 121 sheep and 106 pigs managed under different production systems in different agro-ecological regions and evaluated by the Toxoreagent, a latex agglutination test for T. gondii antibody detection. Household-level and animal-level data were collected by interviewing animal owners and/or herders using a closed-ended questionnaire. The study revealed an overall farm seroprevalence of 83.33% (125/150 farms) with the highest rate of infection for the parasite found in sheep with 64.46% (78/121), followed by goats with 53.91% (69/128), pigs with 33.96% (36/106), cats with 32.11% (35/109 cats) and chickens with 33.58% (46/137). The risk factors that were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) to different species of seropositivites were age, location, climate, animal production system, rodent control, seropositive cat, cat-feed access and cat faecal disposal. The relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii detected in this region suggests that domestic animals may pose a substantial public health risk through the consumption of T. gondii-infected raw meat as well as via contact with cat faeces.

Toxoplasma gondii is a major neglected parasitic infection occurring in settings of extreme poverty in Africa. Apart from causing reproductive failure in animals it is also a significant zoonotic concern. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs in the southeast of South Africa, of which little is known. Sera was obtained from 601 domestic animals including 109 cats, 137 chickens, 128 goats, 121 sheep and 106 pigs managed under different production systems in different agro-ecological regions and evaluated by the Toxoreagent, a latex agglutination test for T. gondii antibody detection. Household-level and animal-level data were collected by interviewing animal owners and/or herders using a closed-ended questionnaire. The study revealed an overall farm seroprevalence of 83.33% (125/150 farms) with the highest rate of infection for the parasite found in sheep with 64.46% (78/121), followed by goats with 53.91% (69/128), pigs with 33.96% (36/106), cats with 32.11% (35/109 cats) and chickens with 33.58% (46/137). The risk factors that were found to be statistically significant (p 0.05) to different species of seropositivites were age, location, climate, animal production system, rodent control, seropositive cat, cat-feed access and cat faecal disposal. The relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii detected in this region suggests that domestic animals may pose a substantial public health risk through the consumption of T. gondii-infected raw meat as well as via contact with cat faeces.

Background and Aim: Dog ectoparasites are a major concern regarding the emergence of several vector-borne zoonotic diseases associated with domestic dogs. Information on the quantified assessment of ectoparasite collection methods from dogs remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ”3-minute method” for col- lecting dog ectoparasites in the human and wildlife border interface in Northern Thailand. Materials and Methods: The ”3-minute method” (TMM) was compared with the bath- ing-combing method (BCM) in 31 domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area, comprising 4 villages in Nan province, Thailand, from July 2022 to July 2023. All ectopara- sites were collected, and morphological identification was confirmed. The percentage of agreement between TMM and BCM was calculated using Kappa. A seasonal comparison of ectoparasite infestation was conducted using the TMM method. Results: Comparatively, the diversity of ectoparasites collected by TMM was revealed to be similar to the BCM method: ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Hae- maphysalis spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Dermacentor spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae)), fleas (Cten- ocephalides felis orientis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)), and lice (Heterodoxus spp. (Phthiraptera: Boopiidae)). More ectoparasites were collected by the BCM than by the TMM method. The average efficiency percentages of TMM and BCM were 12.8% and 87.2%, respectively. The observed percentage agree- ment between BCM and TMM was very good (K = 0.9) for ticks, good (K = 0.7) for fleas, and moderate (K = 0.5) for lice. The diversity of ectoparasites in dogs living in the domestic dogs-wildlife interface area showed that there were 4 species of ectoparasites collected in the dry season compared to 6 species in the rainy season. Conclusion: The fast-body search for 3 minutes is a fast, inexpensive, and effective method for the identification and study of the diversity and abundance of ectoparasites from owned dogs when compared to bathing and combing methods with Amitraz. This method can be used as a non-invasive technique to collect ectoparasites from domesti- cated dogs for further study. Sharing ectoparasites from wildlife to domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area has reported.

Source Agritrop Cirad (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/612069/) | International audience | Background and Aim: Dog ectoparasites are a major concern regarding the emergence of several vector-borne zoonotic diseases associated with domestic dogs. Information on the quantified assessment of ectoparasite collection methods from dogs remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ”3-minute method” for col- lecting dog ectoparasites in the human and wildlife border interface in Northern Thailand. Materials and Methods: The ”3-minute method” (TMM) was compared with the bath- ing-combing method (BCM) in 31 domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area, comprising 4 villages in Nan province, Thailand, from July 2022 to July 2023. All ectopara- sites were collected, and morphological identification was confirmed. The percentage of agreement between TMM and BCM was calculated using Kappa. A seasonal comparison of ectoparasite infestation was conducted using the TMM method. Results: Comparatively, the diversity of ectoparasites collected by TMM was revealed to be similar to the BCM method: ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Hae- maphysalis spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Dermacentor spp. (Ixodida: Ixodidae)), fleas (Cten- ocephalides felis orientis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)), and lice (Heterodoxus spp. (Phthiraptera: Boopiidae)). More ectoparasites were collected by the BCM than by the TMM method. The average efficiency percentages of TMM and BCM were 12.8% and 87.2%, respectively. The observed percentage agree- ment between BCM and TMM was very good (K = 0.9) for ticks, good (K = 0.7) for fleas, and moderate (K = 0.5) for lice. The diversity of ectoparasites in dogs living in the domestic dogs-wildlife interface area showed that there were 4 species of ectoparasites collected in the dry season compared to 6 species in the rainy season. Conclusion: The fast-body search for 3 minutes is a fast, inexpensive, and effective method for the identification and study of the diversity and abundance of ectoparasites from owned dogs when compared to bathing and combing methods with Amitraz. This method can be used as a non-invasive technique to collect ectoparasites from domesti- cated dogs for further study. Sharing ectoparasites from wildlife to domestic dogs in the domestic-wildlife interface area has reported.

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden's index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types. (Résumé d'auteur)

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden’s index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types.

The objective of the study was to establish an operational somatic cell count (SCC) threshold to predict the presence of intramammary infection (IMI) in composite milk samples and compare findings with those in quarter milk samples. South African dairy producers now preferred composite milk samples for herd udder health analysis because of increasing cow numbers, convenience of sampling and lower cost. A retrospective study was conducted on 345 461 composite and 89 638 quarter milk samples from South African herds. Variance estimates for the proportion of quarter samples testing positive were adjusted to account for the lack of their independence within individual cows. The IMI at SCC thresholds of 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL differed only by 3.26% in composite milk samples. Youden’s index indicated the optimum SCC thresholds for composite and quarter milk samples as 150 000 cells/mL and 200 000 cells/mL, respectively. At 150 000 cells/mL, sensitivity (95% confidence intervals [CI]) in composite milk samples was 65.3% (64.0%, 66.6%) and specificity was 66.8% (65.7%, 67.9%); and in quarter milk samples, sensitivity at 200 000 cells/ mL was 70.8% (69.5%, 72.0%) and specificity was 63.6% (62.4%, 64.8%). The likelihood of infection for udders and quarters, respectively, was 1.034 and 1.327 at an SCC threshold of 150 000 cells/mL and 0.864 cells/mL and 1.177 cells/mL at 200 000 cells/mL. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics graph was 0.7084 and 0.7277 for composite and quarter samples, respectively, indicating that the SCC test could be considered as a good indicator of IMI in both sample types.