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Toxoplasma gondii in sheep: epidemiological clues from wild rabbits and hares

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

S. Mason ,
J. E. Smith  and
J. P. Dubey
S. Mason*
Affiliation:
University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
J. E. Smith
Affiliation:
University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
J. P. Dubey
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland, United States
*
Email:bgysma@leeds.ac.uk
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Extract

The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is an important cause of lamb loss. Horizontal transmission to ewes can occur from the parasite’s definitive host, the cat, by the faecal-oral route (Buxton 1990). Vertical (transplacental) transmission to lambs also occurs (Williams et al 2005; Rodger et al 2006). Toxoplasma encysts in brain and muscle where it persists for the lifetime of the sheep. Since Toxoplasma can infect any warm-blooded vertebrate, wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and hares (Lepus europeaus) might similarly be infected by the faecal-oral route and they might function as parasite reservoirs, infecting cats by the tissue-oral route. The aim of this study was to determine whether rabbits and hares are informative as sentinel species, revealing the prevalence and strain of Toxoplasma on pasture, such that they could be used as indicators of infection risk to sheep.

Type
Poster Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2007 , April 2007 , pp. 138
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2007

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References

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