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Ullmann, L.S.; da Silva, R.C.; de Moraes, W.; Cubas, Z.S.; dos Santos, L.C.; Hoffmann, J.L.; Moreira, N.; Guimaraes, A.M.S.; Montano, P.; Langoni, H.; Biondo, A.W.
Serological survey of _Toxoplasma gondii_ in captive Neotropical felids from Southern Brazil
2010  Veterinary Parasitology (172): 144-146

_Toxoplasma gondii_ is the causative intracellular protozoan of toxoplasmosis in human being and animals. Members of the Felidae family are considered the single definitive host for the infection; both wild and domestic cats are able to excrete oocysts in the environment. Wild cats maintained in captivity may serve as source of infection for other clinically susceptible animals in the same environment. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of _T. gondii_ IgG antibodies in 57 neotropical felids (1 _Leopardus geoffroyi_; 3 _Puma yagouaroundi_; 17 _Leopardus wiedii_; 22 _Leopardus tigrinus_; and 14 _Leopardus pardalis_) kept at the Bela Vista Biological Sanctuary, Itaipu Binacional, Southern Brazil, by the modified agglutination test (MAT) using titer 16 as cut-off point. Seropositivity was observed in 38/57 (66.67%; 95% CI 53.66-77.51%) samples, with higher frequency in ocelots (71.43%). Wild-caught felids were three times more likely to be infected when compared to zoo-born animals (P=0.05) and age of wild-caught animals (P = 0.6892; 95% CI = 0.7528-1.66) was not significant as a risk factor for the infection, the same occurring with zoo-born animals (P = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.6267-24.052). These results suggest that, despite efforts to control _T. gondii_ infection in zoo facilities, such as individual pens, hygiene monitoring, veterinary care and pre-frozen meat offered as food, non-domestic felids kept in captivity, particularly the wild-caught specimens, may be invariably exposed to infection due to other environmental sources.

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