Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in gray foxes ( Urocyoncinereoargenteus) from South Carolina

Little is known about the epidemiology of Neospora caninum in wild mammal populations. It has been suggested that a sylvatic cycle exists for N. caninum. Dogs and potentially other canids are a definitive host for N. caninum. The present study was done to determine the prevalence of antibodies to N....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary parasitology 2001-05, Vol.97 (2), p.159-164
Main Authors: Lindsay, D.S, Weston, J.L, Little, S.E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Agglutination test
Agglutination Tests - veterinary
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan - analysis
Epidemiology
Female
Foxes - parasitology
Gray fox
Male
Neospora - immunology
Neospora caninum
neosporosis
Prevalence
South Carolina
tachyzoites
Toxoplasma - immunology
Toxoplasma gondii
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
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Summary:Little is known about the epidemiology of Neospora caninum in wild mammal populations. It has been suggested that a sylvatic cycle exists for N. caninum. Dogs and potentially other canids are a definitive host for N. caninum. The present study was done to determine the prevalence of antibodies to N. caninum in a population of gray foxes ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus) from a nonagricultural setting in South Carolina. We also determined the prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in these animals. Antibody levels were measured in direct agglutination tests using either N. caninum or T. gondii formalin-fixed tachyzoites as antigen. Four (15.4%) of the 26 gray foxes had titers to N. caninum. Titers to N. caninum were low being 1:25 in three gray foxes and 1:50 in the fourth gray fox. Antibodies to T. gondii were observed in 16 (61.5%) gray foxes. Titers to T. gondii were usually >1:50 and two gray foxes had titers of 1:1600. Results of this study indicate that gray foxes have more exposure to T. gondii than to N. caninum in this environment.
ISSN:0304-4017
1873-2550
DOI:10.1016/S0304-4017(01)00390-9