Prevalence of Anti-Toxoplasma Gondii Igg Antibodies in Sheep Slaughtered at a Federally Inspected Slaughterhouse in the State of Bahia

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite with worldwide distribution. In several countries, this parasite causes reproductive disorders in sheep, resulting in economic losses in sheep farming. Additionally, it is a cosmopolitan zoonosis with significant public health implications. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in sheep slaughtered in federally inspected slaughterhouses in the state of Bahia and to associate risk factors with the disease’s occurrence. Serum samples from 227 sheep, collected from a federally inspected slaughterhouse, were analyzed using the indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA). Titers ranged from 1:32 to 1:4096, with an overall seropositivity of 40.53% (92/227). The highest frequencies were observed at titers of 1:32 (33.34%) and 1:64 (35.9%). No positive correlation was found between the studied variables and seropositivity; however, a high seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies was identified in sheep slaughtered for human consumption in federally inspected facilities.