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Toxoplasma gondii coinfection with diseases and parasites in wild rabbits in Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2015

SAM MASON ,
J. P. DUBEY ,
JUDITH E. SMITH  and
BRIAN BOAG
SAM MASON*
Affiliation:
School of Biology, Miall Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
J. P. DUBEY
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Building 1001, BARC-East, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350, USA
JUDITH E. SMITH
Affiliation:
School of Environment and Life Sciences, Peel Building, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
BRIAN BOAG
Affiliation:
James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK
*
* Corresponding author. School of Biology, Miall Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. Tel:xxx. Fax:xxx. E-mail: medsma@leeds.ac.uk
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Summary

In wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on an estate in Perthshire, central Scotland, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii was 18/548 (3·3%). The wild rabbit could be a T. gondii reservoir and it has potential value as a sentinel of T. gondii in environmental substrates. Toxoplasma gondii was associated with female sex (P < 0·001) and with relatively heavy infections by Eimeria stiedae (P = 0·036). It was not associated with the intensity of coccidial oocysts, the severity of myxomatosis caused by the virus Myxomatosis cuniculi, the intensity of roundworm eggs, the year or season, rabbit age or distance from farm buildings. Coinfections could have been affected by gestational down regulation of type 1 T helper cells. A sudden influx or release of T. gondii oocysts might have occurred. This is the first report of T. gondii in any wild herbivore in Scotland and also the first report of lapine T. gondii as a coinfection with E. stiedae, M. cuniculi and helminths.

Keywords

Toxoplasma gondiiEimeria stiedaerabbitcoinfection
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 142 , Issue 11 , September 2015 , pp. 1415 - 1421
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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