Seroprevalence of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Chickens (Gallus domesticus) in Sudan

Abstract

Background: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infections are widely prevalent in human beings and animals worldwide. Humans become infected post-natally by ingesting tissue cysts from undercooked meat, consuming food or drink contaminated with oocysts or by accidentally ingesting oocysts from the environment. Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii infections in chickens in Sudan, during the period between December 2015 and January 2016. Methods: Sera were separated from blood samples, which were collected from the wing vein of chickens (n = 58). Commercial serum agglutination kits (toxoplasmosis latex test kit) for Toxoplasma antibodies detection, using diluted blood serum samples (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64), were used. Results: Twenty-five, seventeen and sixteen chicken sera from river Nile, Khartoum and Sennar states, were positive, respectively. These represented a seroprevalence of 100% in all states with different titers. Conclusions: Toxoplasma gondii infection is prevalent in chickens of Sudan. Therefore, further investigations on the parasite in other States of Sudan is important.