Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and associated alterations in hematology and serum biochemistry of one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Pakistan

Vet World Vol.15 January-2022 Article-14

Research Article

Veterinary World, 15(1): 110-118

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.110-118

Aamir Shehzad^1,2, Awais Masud^2,3, Tabassam Fatima⁴, Fraz Munir Khan², Saifur Rehman^1,5, Mustofa Helmi Effendi⁵, Lucia Tri Suwanti⁶, Iahtasham Khan⁷, Wiwiek Tyasningsih¹, Shah Faisal⁸, Zain Ul Abadeen⁹, and Samreen Bibi¹⁰

1. Division of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
2. Livestock and Dairy Development, Government of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
3. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
4. Department of Parasitology, Riphah College of Veterinary Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan.
5. Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
6. Department Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
7. Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Epidemiology and Public Health, Jhang Campus, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
8. Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Airlangga Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
9. Department of Pathology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
10. Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha Division, Punjab, Pakistan.

Background and Aim: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan that infects humans and animals. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the associated alterations in hematology and serum biochemistry of one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Mianwali district, Pakistan.

Materials and Methods: A total of 350 blood samples were obtained from male and female camels of different ages (≤3 years old, 4-6 years old, and ≥7 years old). To validate T. gondii antibodies, the collected samples were subjected to indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using purified recombinant micronemal protein 3 as an antibody catching antigen.

Results: The prevalence of T. gondii was 50.2% higher in male camels than in female camels (16.5%) (p<0.001). Furthermore, the prevalence of T. gondii in camels was directly proportional to age (p<0.001). It was 63.33% (57/90) in camels of ≥7 years of age, 32.54% in 4-6 years old age group, and 23.08% in ≤3 years old age group. The hematological analysis of infected camels revealed a significant increase in the values of glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism, lymphocyte percentage, monocyte percentage (MONO%), corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and procalcitonin. Furthermore, substantially higher levels of liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and the macro-mineral potassium were found in the serum of T. gondii-infected camels.

Conclusion: The seropositivity of T. gondii is directly associated with the age and sex of camels, which may be considered as potential risk factors. Furthermore, T. gondii infection directly impacts the hemato-biochemistry of infected camels. Keywords: biochemistry, camel, hematology, public health, seroprevalence, Toxoplasma gondii.

Keywords: biochemistry, camel, hematology, public health, seroprevalence, Toxoplasma gondii.

How to cite this article: Shehzad A, Masud A, Fatima T, Khan FM, Rehman S, Effendi MH, Suwanti LT, Khan I, Tyasningsih W, Faisal S, Abadeen ZU, Bibi S (2022) Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and associated alterations in hematology and serum biochemistry of one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Pakistan, Veterinary World, 15(1): 110-118.

Received: 02-07-2021 Accepted: 10-12-2021 Published online: 23-01-2022

Corresponding author: E-mail: mhelmieffendi@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.110-118

Copyright: Shehzad, 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.