Toxoplasma gondii in domestic and wild animals from forest fragments of the municipality of Natal, northeastern Brazil

Toxoplasmosis stands out as a global disease that has felines as definitive hosts. In the municipality of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, two parks are notable for their ecological and social importance. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in short hair cats, bats and small non-volant mammals in these two ecological reserves. Altogether, biological samples were obtained from 154 mammals, 92 wild animals from both areas and 62 domestic cats of the Parque da Cidade. In total, 22 (53.7%) non-volant wild mammals, 11 (21.5%) bats and 28 (52.8%) cats were positive for IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies using the Modified Agglutination Test (≥ 25). It was possible to detect the presence of T. gondii DNA, by means of a molecular amplification of a B1 gene fragment (155bp), in 92 tissue samples from wild animals, including Didelphis albiventris, Monodelphis domestica, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina. Of the 62 cats examined by the same molecular method, T. gondii DNA could be detected in 4 cats. In this study, it was observed the circulation of T. gondii in wild species and domestic cats, demonstrating the involvement of wild and domestic animals in the cycle of T. gondii.

弓形虫病（Toxoplasmosis）是一类以猫科动物为终宿主的全球性传染病。巴西北里奥格兰德州纳塔尔市的两座公园兼具重要的生态与社会价值，本研究旨在调查这两座生态保护区内短毛猫、蝙蝠及小型非飞行哺乳动物的弓形虫（Toxoplasma gondii）感染状况。本次研究共采集154份哺乳动物生物样本，其中涵盖两个研究区域内的92只野生动物，以及城市公园（Parque da Cidade）的62只家猫。采用改良凝集试验（Modified Agglutination Test，判定阈值≥25）检测，结果显示22份（53.7%）非飞行野生哺乳动物样本、11份（21.5%）蝙蝠样本及28份（52.8%）家猫样本的抗弓形虫IgG抗体呈阳性。通过对B1基因（B1 gene）155bp片段的分子扩增技术，在92份野生动物组织样本中检出弓形虫DNA，涉及物种包括Didelphis albiventris、Monodelphis domestica、Artibeus lituratus、Carollia perspicillata及Glossophaga soricina。采用相同分子方法对62只家猫进行检测，其中4份样本检出弓形虫DNA。本研究证实弓形虫在野生动物与家猫群体中存在循环传播，证明野生与家养动物共同参与了弓形虫的生活史循环。