Exposure to toxoplasma gondii in asian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) in thailand
Issued Date
2022-01-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20760817
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85121672784
Journal Title
Pathogens
Volume
11
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Pathogens Vol.11 No.1 (2022)
Suggested Citation
Udonsom R., Nishikawa Y., Fereig R.M., Topisit T., Kulkaweewut N., Chanamrung S., Jirapattharasate C. Exposure to toxoplasma gondii in asian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) in thailand. Pathogens Vol.11 No.1 (2022). doi:10.3390/pathogens11010002 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/83936
Title
Exposure to toxoplasma gondii in asian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) in thailand
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis in humans and various animal species worldwide. In Thailand, seroprevalence studies on T. gondii have focused on domestic animals, and information on infections in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) is scarce. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in archival sera collected from 268 elephants living in Thailand. The serum samples were analyzed for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies using the latex agglutination test (LAT) and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) based on T. gondii lysate antigen (TLA-iELISA) and recombinant T. gondii dense granular antigen 8 protein (TgGRA8-iELISA). The prevalence of antibodies against T. gondii was 45.1% (121/268), 40.7% (109/268), and 44.4% (119/268) using LAT, TLA-iELISA, and TgGRA8-iELISA, respectively. Young elephants had a higher seropositivity rate than elephants aged >40 years (odds ratio = 6.6; p < 0.001; 95% confidence interval: 2.9–15.4). When LAT was used as the reference, TLA-iELISA and TgGRA8-iELISA showed a substantial (κ = 0.69) and moderate (κ = 0.42) agreement, respectively. Although our findings suggest the widespread exposure of Asian elephants to T. gondii in Thailand, the source of infection was not investigated. Therefore, investigation of the predisposing factors associated with toxoplasmosis is necessary to identify the potential risk factors for infection.