Seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in rabbit of local Algerian population

Vet World Vol.12 June-2019 Article-20

Research Article

Veterinary World, 12(6): 855-859

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2019.855-859

Mina Henneb¹, Khaled Harhoura², Mohamed Amine Bekara³, Safia Zenia², and Miriem Aissi²

1. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Sciences, University M'Hamed Bougara, Boumerdes, Algeria.
2. High National Veterinary School, Oued Smar, Algiers, Algeria.
3. Department of Biology, Hassiba Benbouali University, Chlef, Algeria.

Background and Aim: The objective of this investigation was to determine the seroprevalence and identify the risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the rabbit of the local Algerian population from five districts of Northern Algeria.

Materials and Methods: Blood samples of 350 rabbits were collected and analyzed for the presence of anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Additional data concerning the farms and management practices were obtained through a questionnaire used in surveys and interviews.

Results: The overall seroprevalence was 14.6% (51/350). The seroprevalence was significantly higher in outdoor rearing farms and was linked to the presence of animals from other species on the farm. A higher seroprevalence was found in older animals compared to younger ones. No difference in seroprevalence was noted with respect to the origin or gender of animals, type of cage, feed and water sources, presence of cats in the vicinity, hygiene status, or season.

Conclusion: This study has shown that T. gondii prevalence in rabbits of the local population is relevant and may have important implications for public health in rural areas. Keywords: Algeria, public health, rabbits, seroprevalence, Toxoplasma gondii.

Keywords: Algeria, public health, rabbits, seroprevalence, Toxoplasma gondii.

How to cite this article: Henneb M, Harhoura K, Bekara MA, Zenia S, Aissi M (2019) Seroprevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in rabbit of local Algerian population, Veterinary World, 12(6): 855-859.

Received: 25-01-2019 Accepted: 24-04-2019 Published online: 20-06-2019

Corresponding author: Mina Henneb E-mail: henneb.mina@yahoo.fr

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2019.855-859

Copyright: Henneb, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.