SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII AMONG COMMENSAL RODENTS FROM GIZA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Research Institute of Medical Entomology, The General Organization for Institutes and Teaching Hospitals, Ministry of Health and Population, Dokki, Egypt.

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular zoonotic parasite that infects a large spectrum of warm-blood animals, including humans. Congenital toxoplasmosis is a worldwide problem. Rodents are intermediate hosts and serve as food for felids, the definitive hosts. A serological survey for antibodies to T. gondii was carried out among two species of commensal rodent species Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus, trapped from different localities within Abu-El- Nomros center, Giza Governorate. Of 125 rats, 5 (4.0%) had anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. Of 79 R. nor- vegicus 3 (3.8%), and 46 R. rattus 2 (4.3%). The results showed that mature and immature of males and females of both species had anti-toxoplasmal. This result was not statistically significant between two species of R. norvegicus and R. rattus and also between the two sexes of each species.

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