Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infections in stray cats from Italy

Prevalence of T gondii infection was determined in stray cats by a commercially available direct agglutination test. Overall, 40.7% of serum samples have given positive results. T gondii infection seemed to be more prevalent in females than males (41.3% vs. 39%), in common European Shorthair cats than other breed (88.3% vs. 40%), in <5 year-old cats than older ones (42.3% vs. 38.3%). in cats from urban than suburban areas (45.8% vs. 35.7%). and during spring/summer than fall/winter months (45.8% vs. 35.4%). Despite these trends. differences between groups were not statistically significant by chi-square test. It is concluded that the sero-prevalence in stray cats can be a good indicator of the spreading of T. gondii in the environment, highlighting the potential threat of infection to humans and other domestic or wild animals.