Seroprevalence of IgG against Toxoplasma gondii among chickens in Semnan, Iran

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular protozoan which can infect broad spectrum of warm blooded animals as intermediate hosts. Cats are definitive hosts. Seroprevalence of this parasite among birds is an effective criterion for environmental contamination to Toxoplasma oocysts. In this research, T. gondii Immunoglobulin G (IgG) were detected by ELISA in 168 broilers sera which were referred to Semnan industrial abattoir and 30 freerange chicken sera which were collected from different places in Semnan. 39.9% of broilers and 96.7% of free-range chickens were positive in Toxoplasma IgG antibody. There was significant difference between two different groups in Chi-square test (P<0.0001). According to the results, seroprevalence of Toxoplasma is relatively high among chickens in Semnan. In free-range chickens, soil contamination to the parasite oocysts and in broilers some management problems and cat access as a definitive host to the water and food supply of chickens can effective on high prevalence of the infection.