Infecção por Toxoplasma gondii em animais na Ilha de Fernando de Noronha, Brasil : prevalência, distribuição espacial e fatores de risco

Abstract

This study analyzed a total of 1,863 serum samples from cats (domestic and feral), dogs, sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens and horses from Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco-Brazil, to study the prevalence and spatial distribution of Toxoplasma gondii, and identify risk factors for some species. Indirect immunofluorescence test was performed by using cutoff 1:64 for pigs, sheep, cattle, horses and 1:16 to chickens, dogs and cats. To identify risk factors associated with infection by T. gondii was used univariate analysis and logistic regression for sheep, cattle and chickens. The spatial distribution of infection by this parasite was obtained by intensity Kernel estimator. Of all the animals sampled, 63.5% (1,183/1,863) were positive with titles ranging 16 to 1024 with high prevalence rates for chickens (88.4%), sheep (85.0%), cats domestic (71.26%), feral cats (54.74%) and dogs (48.75%). T. gondii infection is widespread in animals from Archipelago with high prevalence of infection observed in the definitive host (cats), also identified as a risk factor for some species studied. The results indicate to the urgent need for health intervention to strengthen the strategic and integrated measures to prevent and control this disease to prevent infection in animals and humans on this island.