Yafteh

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common zoonotic parasites. The stray cats play an important role in the infecting intermediate hosts, due to easy access to raw meat and predation of infected rodents and birds and shedding oocyst on the environment. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii antibody in the serum and oocyst shedding in the feces of stray cats and its relationship with some variables such as age, sex and inhabitant in Khorramabad, west of Iran

Materials and Methods: A total of 125 Stray cats trapped from different parts of city and were brought to the research laboratory to take blood and faces specimens. The blood samples of the cats (71 males and 54 females) were assayed for the prevalence of T. gondii using the IgG-ELISA, and their fecal samples collected through rectal swabs, and sugar floatation concentration method was applied for detection of oocyst.

Results: From 125 cats, a total of 80 cats (64%) were positive for anti-Toxoplasma antibody, 42 cats (33.6%) were negative and 3 cats (2.4%) were in borderline. There was no significant difference in the T. gondii seropositivity between males and females, and also between cats living in different parts of city, but prevalence rate between different age  groups were significant statistically (P<0.021). T. gondii-like oocysts were detected in only 3 of 125 samples tested from cats’ stool by direct microscopy and floatation   methods (the oocyst size was out of the range and identified as Isospora sp.).

Conclusion: The present study indicated a significant proportion of cats from Khorramabad, west of Iran. The T. gondii infection risk could be considerable if public health measures didn't take into account.