Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in recreational horses in two metropolitan cities of Southwestern Nigeria.

The research article investigates the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasitic infection, in recreational horses in the southwestern cities of Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria.

Study Objectives and Methodology

• The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii, a protozoan parasite accountable for health problems like reproductive issues and encephalomyelitis in both animals and humans, in recreational horses in southwestern Nigeria.
• In total, 157 horses residing in Lagos and Ibadan were randomly selected for the study.
• The investigators collected serum samples from the horses and used the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) to detect the presence of T. gondii antibodies, a sign of infection.

Findings

• Out of 157 sampled horses, 22 (14%) were found positive for T. gondii antibodies via the MAT, indicating an infection.
• Among these 22 horses, different levels of antibodies were found. Most commonly, an antibody titer of 1:20 was found in 12 samples (54.5%), followed by titers of 1:40 in 8 samples (36.4%), 1:80 in 1 sample (4.1%) and 1:160 in 1 sample (4.1%).
• The study also assessed various factors like gender, breed, age group, and sampling locations and their relation to T. gondii infection. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between these factors and the prevalence of infection.

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Based on the results, the researchers concluded that recreational horses in southwestern Nigeria are exposed to T. gondii infection.
• Given the zoonotic nature of the parasite—which means it can be transmitted from animals to humans—the study recommends implementing suitable measures to prevent and control this infection in horses within this region.
• This research is perhaps the first report highlighting the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in horses in southwestern Nigeria, thus indicating a potential risk of the disease’s further spread in this geography.