Exposure of Wild Ruminants to <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Alpine Ecosystems, NE Spain.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with a complex life cycle that involves warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts and felids as definitive hosts. Its epidemiology in alpine ecosystems remains poorly understood. This study presents the first long-term investigation of T. gondii exposure in wild ruminants in the Pyrenees (NE Spain), where definitive hosts are scarce. Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica; n = 1045) and mouflon (Ovis aries musimon; n = 115) sera collected between 2001 and 2024 were tested (Modified Agglutination Test, ELISA-IDvet, ELISA-IDEXX) for the presence of T. gondii antibodies. Sera from 53 chamois and 27 mouflon foetuses and hearts and brains from 38 chamois and 35 mouflon foetuses were analysed for the presence of antibod

SUBMITTER: Escudero A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12656981 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature