ELISA-seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in draught horses in Greater Cairo, Egypt.

This research article explores the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic parasite, in draught horses in the Greater Cairo area as detected by an ELISA test.

Objective of the Research

The study aimed to determine the seroprevalence – or the level of a pathogen in a specific population, in this case, Toxoplasma gondii in draught horses in the Greater Cairo region. The study was carried out during the first half of 2009.

Study Sample

• The subjects of the study were draught horses aged between 3-15 years.
• The sample size included 100 horses out of which 90 were males and 10 females.

Method of Evaluation

• The presence of Toxoplasma gondii was assessed using the ELISA method. ELISA or Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is a widely accepted method used to detect the presence of antibodies or antigens in samples. In this case, it was used to detect the presence of T. gondii antibodies in the horses.

Findings

• The results revealed the presence of ELISA-T. gondii antibodies in 25% of the horses in Greater Cairo, which suggests that these horses were exposed to the T. gondii parasite.
• When the results were segregated by sex, the seroprevalence was much higher in females at 50%, most likely due to the smaller sample size in comparison to the males where the seroprevalence was found to be 22.2%.

This study provides an indication of the extent of exposure or infection of draught horses in Greater Cairo by T. gondii, contributing valuable information to efforts aimed at controlling and preventing this zoonotic parasite of worldwide importance.