Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in horses from the coastal and mountain mesoregions of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

<p class="Pa7">Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan <em>Toxoplasma gondii</em>. Among domestic species, the horse is one of those most resistant to <em>T. gondii </em>infection; however, upon acute infection, horses may present hyperirritability, poor motor coordination, ocular disorders, and abortion. Herein, we investigated the presence of antibodies against <em>T. gondii</em>, in order to identify possible risk factors for infection in horses and to establish the correlation of <em>T. gondii </em>infection with reproductive and/ or neurological disorders. We collected 615 blood samples from animals in the mountain mesoregion (n=311) and the coastal mesoregion (n=304) of Santa Catarina state. An epidemiological questionnaire was used to identify possible risk factors. Antibodies to <em>T. gondii </em>were detected by immuno-fluorescence assay (IFA?1:64) using RH strain tachyzoites of the protozoan as antigen. Correlation (P&lt;0.05) between seropositivity and race, sex, age, diet, contact with other animals, reproductive and/or neurological disorders, and origin were assessed. The overall incidence of seropositivity was 10.4% (64/615), and in the mountain and coastal regions, 10.3% and 10.5%, respectively. The reciprocal of the titles observed was: 1:64 (36), 1:256 (26) and 1:1024 (two). There was no significant difference (P&gt;0.05) between regions, and there was no correlation between seropositivity and the variables analyzed.