Interaction of diet and habitat predicts Toxoplasma gondii infection rates in wild birds at a global scale

Aim: Free-ranging wildlife are valuable sentinels for zoonotic, multi-host pathogens, and novel insight on parasite transmission patterns is possible through a macroecological approach. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals, including humans, primarily through a free-living oocyst and/or tissue cyst life-stage. Anthropogenic disturbance is facilitating the spread of T. gondii, making it critical to understand the general ecological and life history drivers of T. gondii infections in wild birds, which are important intermediate hosts. Our goal was to determine how habitat (terrestrial vs. aquatic), dietary trophic level and scavenging behaviour influence T. gondii infection prevalence in wild birds on a global scale.

Location: Global

Time period: 1952-2017

Major taxa studied: Birds

Methods: Our analysis used the serological, bioassay and molecular prevalence data of T. gondii in avian species compiled from 81 studies conducted worldwid...