1. Environmental determinants of spatial and temporal variations in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in its definitive hosts
- Author
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Sandrine Ruette, Estelle Germain, Ludovic Say, Emmanuelle Gilot-Fromont, Eve Afonso, Marie-Lazarine Poulle, Sébastien Devillard, Isabelle Villena, Dominique Aubert, Laboratoire Chrono-environnement ( LCE ), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté ( UBFC ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Université de Franche-Comté ( UFC ), Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Eco-éthologie ( 2C2A-CERFE ), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne ( URCA ), Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, CNERA Prédateurs Animaux déprédateurs, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive ( LBBE ), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 ( UCBL ), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique ( Inria ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Centre de formation et de recherche sur l'environnement marin ( CEFREM ), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia ( UPVD ) -Institut national des sciences de l'Univers ( INSU - CNRS ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Laboratoire Chrono-environnement - CNRS - UBFC (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC), Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Eco-éthologie (2C2A-CERFE), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), Ecologie et évolution des populations, Département écologie évolutive [LBBE], Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de formation et de recherche sur l'environnement marin (CEFREM), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biodémographie évolutive, and Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Veterinary medicine ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,030231 tropical medicine ,biology.animal_breed ,Population ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,parasitic diseases ,medicine ,Seroprevalence ,Felis catus ,education ,ComputingMethodologies_COMPUTERGRAPHICS ,Meteorological variations ,education.field_of_study ,[ SDV ] Life Sciences [q-bio] ,biology ,Felis ,Felis silvestris ,Zoonosis ,Toxoplasma gondii ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Toxoplasmosis ,Farm density ,Infectious Diseases ,13. Climate action ,European wildcat ,North-Atlantic Oscillation index ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Parasitology ,Spatial variability - Abstract
Graphical abstract, Highlights • Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalences in 112 European wildcats, 20 domestic cats and 47 hybrids are reported. • The seroprevalence (overall 65.2%) did not differ with the type of cat. • High farm densities and mild winters are associated with the highest seroprevalence., Toxoplasmosis is a major zoonosis, and its prevention requires multiple approaches due to the complex life-cycle of its causative agent, Toxoplasma gondii. Environmental contamination by oocysts is a key factor in the transmission of T. gondii to both humans and meat-producing animals; however, its spatial and temporal variations are poorly understood. We analysed the distribution of T. gondii seropositivity in a sample of 210 cats, including the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris), the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and their hybrids that were collected in Central and Eastern France between 1996 and 2006. We searched for spatial variability among communes and temporal variations among years to relate this variability to landscape and meteorological conditions, which can affect the population dynamics of rodent hosts and the survival of oocysts. The overall seroprevalence was 65.2% (95% CI: 58.6–71.4). As expected, adults were more often infected than young individuals, while the occurrence of infection was not related to cat genotypes. Seroprevalence correlated significantly with farm density and the North-Atlantic Oscillation index, which describes temporal variations of meteorological conditions at the continental scale. The highest seroprevalence values were obtained in areas with high farm densities and during years with cool and moist winters. These results suggest that both farming areas and years with cool and wet winters are associated with increased T. gondii seroprevalence in cats. As cat infection determines the environmental contamination by oocysts, climate and landscape characteristics should be taken into account to improve the risk analysis and prevention of T. gondii.
- Published
- 2013
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