Toxoplasmosis in Small Ruminants from Varied Habitats

Abstract: Background: Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease found all over the world in all the mammalian and avian species. We conceived the hypothesis that the infection might be affected by the various factor differing in various habitats. The present study was conducted to evaluate our hypothesis by investigating the rates if infections different flocks of small ruminants populated in various localities with varied ecological conditions in southernmost part of Punjab, Pakistan. Materials and Method: The blood samples collected from mixed farms of sheep and goats were examined by Latex Agglutination Test to detect rates of seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. Statistical analyses were applied to ascertain the correlation between habitat variations and rates of toxoplasmosis in three distinct regions of study area including sand dunes of Cholistan desert, Agricultural Region and Marshy areas. Results: The total infection rates collectively found in small ruminants were 31.41%. The incidence rates of Toxoplasma infection in small ruminants were 38.1%, 32.1 % and 14.5 % in animals reared in Agricultural Region, Riverside region and Sand Dunes region of Cholistan correspondingly. Conclusions: The results showed the varied rates of toxoplasmosis in small ruminants in various habitats in the study area. Furthermore, the overall higher occurrence of toxoplasmosis in small ruminants underlined the threat of zoonotic transmission of infection to human