East-West Divide: temperature and land cover drive spatial variation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales
| Autor: | Ellie Sherrard-Smith, Willow Smallbone, Sarah E. Perkins, Janet Francis, Edward Guy, Elizabeth Anna Chadwick, Joanne Cable |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Male Climate 030231 tropical medicine Wildlife Animals Wild Otter 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Seroepidemiologic Studies biology.animal parasitic diseases medicine Seroprevalence Animals QL Biotic component Wales biology Ecology Zoonosis Temperature Toxoplasma gondii 030108 mycology & parasitology medicine.disease biology.organism_classification Toxoplasmosis Infectious Diseases Toxoplasmosis Animal England Animal Science and Zoology Parasitology Female Lutra Toxoplasma Otters |
| Zdroj: | Parasitology. 144(11) |
| ISSN: | 1469-8161 0031-1820 |
| Popis: | SUMMARYToxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic parasite of global importance, infects all endothermic vertebrates, with extensive health implications. The prevalence of this parasite is seldom monitored in wildlife. Here, a semi-aquatic species, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) was used as a model to assess the potential effect of climate, land cover and biotic factors on T. gondii seroprevalence in British wildlife. The Sabin–Feldman cytoplasm-modifying dye test identified T. gondii antibodies in 25·5% of blood samples from otters found dead, mainly as road kill, in England and Wales, between 2004 and 2010. Otters in the east of England were more likely to be infected with T. gondii than those in western regions. Land cover and temperature are key determinants of T. gondii infection risk, with more infection in arable areas and lower infection where temperatures are higher. The probability of T. gondii infection increased with host age, reflecting cumulative exposure with time, but there was no association between T. gondii seroprevalence and cause of host death. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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