Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in ewes from a commercial farm in the Central Highlands

© 2006 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. All rights reserved. Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite of worldwide distribution that causes reproductive disorders in animals and man. Warm-blooded animals constitute the intermediate hosts, get tissue cysts and disseminate the disease when contaminate the pasture with feces containing oocysts. Domestic and wild feline are the definitive hosts. The objective of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in ewes belonging to a commercial farm located in the Central Highlands of Junín, Peru, using the Indirect Immunofluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT). A total of 387 sera were collected from ewes of various ages at shearing time in March 2002. The detected seroprevalence was 65.9 ± 4.7% (255/387). Seroprevalence increased according to age (p<0.05).