Korean J Parasitol.  2013 Jun;51(3):357-361. 10.3347/kjp.2013.51.3.357.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Household Cats in Korea and Risk Factors

• Hong SH
• Jeong YI
• Kim JY
• Cho SH
• Lee WJ
• Lee SE

• KMID: 1715712
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2013.51.3.357

Abstract

Several epidemiological surveys have reported the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in stray cats in Korea, but little information is available on T. gondii infection in household cats. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors of T. gondii infection among household cats reared in Seoul, Korea. A total of 474 blood samples were collected from clinically healthy household cats. All samples were tested using ELISA and PCR. The risk factor analysis was based on a questionnaire filled out by the owners. The overall positive rate for ELISA and PCR assays was 2.2% (10/437) and 2.1% (10/474), respectively. With regard to the origin of cats, the positive rates among cats adopted from the animal shelter and veterinary clinic for stray cats were significantly different (P<0.05). Our study demonstrated that the positive rate of T. gondii infection in household cats was low and that this low prevalence was assumed to be associated with keeping the cats indoors and restriction of eating raw food and uncooked meat. Therefore, we suggest that the owners check the origin of the cats prior to adoption to prevent infection of other animals, including humans.

Keyword

Toxoplasma gondii; risk factor; household cat; PCR; ELISA

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cat Diseases/epidemiology/*parasitology
Cats
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary
Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Factors
Toxoplasma/*isolation & purification
Toxoplasmosis, Animal/epidemiology/*parasitology