科研之友
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摘要
Raptors are good indicators of the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in the environment because they prey on small mammals and birds. These prey species are a major source of infection in domestic cats (Felis catus), which shed the environmentally resistant oocysts. We assessed T. gondii infection in 281 opportunistically available raptors at a rehabilitation facility between 2012 and 2014. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by a modified agglutination test (cutoff 1: 25) and found in serum of 22/71 Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), 25/54 Barred Owls (Strix varia), 9/41 Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus), 13/28 Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus), 6/20 Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus), 2/16 Eastern Screech Owls (Megascops asio), 12/13 Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), 6/12 Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii), 1/8 Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus), and 1/1 Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Antibodies were not detected in 5 Barn Owls (Tyto alba), 3 American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), 1 Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), and 1 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Viable T. gondii was isolated from the tissues of 1 antibody-positive Barred Owl and identified as a strain having type II alleles at all 10 loci tested, except one (ToxoDB polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism genotype 3). Type II strain is the most common strain in the US. Results of this study indicate a high prevalence of T. gondii in some raptor species and the first reported genotyping from a Barred Owl.
- 出版日期2016-7
