Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in slaughtered sheep and cattle in khorram Abad, Lorestan, Iran

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease which is caused by a protozoa named Toxoplasma gondii. There is no clear information on the prevalence of this infection in cattle and sheeps in Lorestan province. Therefore, in this study we intended to determine the prevalence of toxoplasma infection in domestic animals (sheep and cattle) slaughtered in khorram Abad. In total, 446 blood samples were collected from sheeps (286) and cattles (160) which were slaughtered in Khoram Abad’s abattoirs. Sera were separated and tested for the presence of specific IgG anti-toxoplasma gondii by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. According to the guidelines of serologic kit manufacturer, 16.1% of sheeps and 11.9% of cattles were infected by Toxoplasma gondii. There was a significant relationship between seropositivity for Toxoplasma gondii and the age of animals (P=0.002). The infection rate was higher in older animals. The seroprevalence rate of infection was lower than the reported rates for many parts of the country. But, the true infection rate may be slightly different from the value we determined, because serological tests may have some problems.