Toxoplasma gondii Seroprevalence in Horses from Ukraine: an Investigation Using Two Serological Methods.
Abstract: Horses are recognized as important hosts for the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, mainly because meat of infected horses can be a source of human T. gondii infections. However, the baseline knowledge on equine T. gondii infections is limited and lacking from many countries. This seroepidemiological study was set in Ukraine, a country where little is known about T. gondii prevalence in any host species. Methods: We investigated 78 serum samples from horses, collected from Kyiv and Lviv regions of Ukraine, using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a commercial modified direct agglutination test (DAT). The ELISA is intended to detect the presence of total antibodies against T. gondii, and the DAT detects specific anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies. The cutoff titer for DAT seropositivity was a titer of 40. Results: Two horses were omitted from statistical analyses due to disagreeing ELISA results. Altogether 16 of the remaining 76 horses were seropositive with the ELISA, yielding an apparent seroprevalence estimate of 21.1% (95% confidence interval 13.0-31.3). Five horses tested positive with both ELISA and DAT, 11 horses tested positive with ELISA only, and one with DAT only. For 64 of the 76 horses, the results of ELISA and DAT agreed; the percent agreement was 84.2 and the Kappa statistic was - 1.5208, indicating poor agreement. Conclusions: Our results add to the knowledge on the global epidemiology of T. gondii and exposure level of horses to the major zoonotic parasite, as well as to the discussion of challenges of applying serology to estimate exposure to T. gondii in horses.
Publication Date: 2019-03-18 PubMed ID: 30887271DOI: 10.2478/s11686-019-00040-0Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research conducted a seroepidemiological study in Ukraine to determine the prevalence of the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii in horses, using two different serological methods – enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a direct agglutination test (DAT). The results revealed a poor agreement between both ELISA and DAT results and highlighted challenges in estimating exposure to T. gondii in horses.
Purpose and Background
- The study aimed to determine the presence and prevalence of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite in horses from Ukraine, where such data is currently limited.
- Horses are important hosts for T. gondii – a parasite known to infect humans as well, especially through the consumption of infected horse meat.
Methodology
- The research collected 78 serum samples from horses in the Kyiv and Lviv regions of Ukraine and analysed them using two commercial serological tests: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a direct agglutination test (DAT).
- The ELISA method detects total antibodies, while DAT detects specific anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies.
- A DAT cutoff titer of 40 was used to determine seropositivity.
Results
- Due to conflicting ELISA results, two horses were omitted from the statistical analyses, leaving 76 horses in the study.
- Out of these, 16 horses were seropositive with the ELISA method, indicating an apparent seroprevalence estimate of 21.1%.
- Only five horses tested positive with both ELISA and DAT, 11 horses tested positive with ELISA only and one with DAT only.
- Overall, the ELISA and DAT methods agreed in 64 out of 76 horses, hinting at a poor agreement between the two techniques (Kappa statistic = -1.5208).
Conclusions
- The study contributes to the understanding of the global epidemiology of T. gondii and the exposure of horses to this zoonotic parasite.
- The poor agreement between the ELISA and DAT results brought attention to the challenges in using serology to estimate exposure to T. gondii in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Rissanen K, Galat M, Kovalenko G, Rodnina O, Mikharovskyi G, Must K, Jokelainen P.
(2019).
Toxoplasma gondii Seroprevalence in Horses from Ukraine: an Investigation Using Two Serological Methods.
Acta Parasitol, 64(4), 687-692.
https://doi.org/10.2478/s11686-019-00040-0 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 62, 51014, Tartu, Estonia.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Heroiv Oborony Str. 15, Kyiv, 03041, Ukraine. galat_mv@nubip.edu.ua.
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, 30, Donetska Street, Kyiv, 03151, Ukraine.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Heroiv Oborony Str. 15, Kyiv, 03041, Ukraine.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Heroiv Oborony Str. 15, Kyiv, 03041, Ukraine.
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 62, 51014, Tartu, Estonia.
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 62, 51014, Tartu, Estonia.
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, 2300, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
MeSH Terms
- Agglutination Tests
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses / parasitology
- Male
- Pilot Projects
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
- Serologic Tests / methods
- Toxoplasma / isolation & purification
- Toxoplasmosis, Animal / diagnosis
- Toxoplasmosis, Animal / epidemiology
- Ukraine / epidemiology
Grant Funding
- Mobility Grant (June 11 / Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology
- 2017) / Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology
- 8P160014VLVP / Base Funding of Estonian University of Life Sciences
- 0116U001592 (2016-2017) / State Ukrainian grant
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Liang W, Zhao S, Wang N, Tang Z, Zhao F, Liu M, Jin W, Meng Y, Jia L. Molecular occurrence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in equids in Jilin, China.. Sci Rep 2022 Jul 30;12(1):13121.
- Galat M, Must K, Rissanen K, Jokelainen P. Comparison of a commercial modified direct agglutination test and a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for screening for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in naturally exposed domestic cats.. Parasitol Res 2019 Aug;118(8):2437-2441.
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