The Pine marten ( Martes martes ) and the Stone marten ( Martes foina ) as possible wild reservoirs of Toxoplasma gondii in the Baltic States

Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic parasite that infects a wide spectrum of mammals. Moreover, its presence in wild carnivores is indicative of environmental contamination by the parasite. A total of 186 marten (152 pine marten; 34 stone marten) meat juice samples from Latvia and Lithuania were tested for T . gondii seroprevalence. Samples were tested for T . gondii specific antibodies by a commercial ELISA and antibodies were found in 121 (65.1%) samples. Higher prevalence (67.8%) occurred in pine martens compared to that of stone martens (52.9%). Adult pine martens had a 2.0 (95% CI 0.9–4.7) times higher odds ratio to test seropositive than juvenile Pine martens. In addition, a significant positive correlation ( r = 0.75; P = 0.05) was observed between T . gondii seroprevalence in martens and the number of estimated Eurasian lynx as a possible definitive host within the game administrative unit. The present study suggests that the high seroprevalence of T . gondii in Pine and Stone martens could indicate a high incidence of the parasite in the intermediate and definitive host population and in the environment.