New article: Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed

Must K, Hytönen MK, Orro T, Lohi H, Jokelainen P..Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed. PLoS One. 2017 Sep 8;12(9):e0184659. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184659. eCollection 2017.

New article: Seroprevalence of and Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Cats in Estonia

Abstract
In Estonia, northeastern Europe, Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in humans has not declined, in contrast to many other countries. The reasons for this are unknown. Domestic cats are important hosts in the epidemiology of the parasite, but information on local feline T. gondii infections has been lacking. An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the risk factors associated with seropositivity in cats in Estonia. Surplus from blood samples that had been collected for unrelated diagnostic purposes from 306 pet cats and 184 shelter cats were analyzed for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies by using a direct agglutination test. Two questionnaires were designed to reveal relevant risk factors for seropositivity. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in cats in Estonia was 60.8%. Older age, outdoor access, hunting, living outside the city in the countryside, and not being a purebred cat were among the risk factors associated with seropositivity. T. gondii is highly prevalent in domestic cats in Estonia. This suggests that the environment has been contaminated with T. gondii. Seropositivity indicates previous oocyst shedding, and most of the cats had outdoor access. The increase in T. gondii seroprevalence with age indicates acquired infections, and most of the risk factors were lifestyle-related. Cat owners could diminish the risk of T. gondii infection and also limit the spread of the parasite by not allowing their cats to roam free.

Full article:
Must K, Lassen B, Jokelainen P. Seroprevalence of and Risk Factors for Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Cats in Estonia. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2015 Oct;15(10):597-601. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1809. Epub 2015 Sep 22.
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Defense of a graduation thesis on Toxoplasma gondii

Upcoming defense in parasitology

Kärt Must
Toxoplasma gondii Seroprevalence in Cats in Estonia
Graduation thesis in veterinary medicine
Link to study summary

Location and time:
Estonian University of Life Sciences
Kreutzwaldi 62, room A201
Tartu
Estonia

Date: June 5th 2014
Time: 9:00

Supervisors: Pikka Jokelainen and Brian Lassen
Opponent: Marika Masso, University of Tartu

A popular science paper on Toxoplasma gondii has been published in the magazine Lemmik!

Pikka Jokelainen, Marilin Janson, Kärt Must. Toksoplasmadega nakatumist saab ennetada. Lemmik, oktoober 2013 (23): 43-46. Price: 1.95€.

Link to article online

Study: Toxoplasma gondii in Estonian cats

We have started a new research project:

Toxoplasma gondii in Estonian cats

Toxoplasma infections in Estonian cats have not been previously studied. This study aims to estimate the proportion of the Estonian cats that have been exposed to the parasite, and to detect risk factors for the infection. 

The results will be relevant for public health professionals and for ensuring the welfare of the cats, as Toxoplasma can infect both humans and animals. Most infections cause only mild symptoms or clinical signs, but at worst toxoplasmosis can be severe and even life-threatening. Most feared are the infections during pregnancy, because the parasite may be transmitted to the fetus..

There are ways to prevent the infections, and cat owners could do a lot to protect their cats from this parasite. This would also diminish the presence of the parasite in the environment.

Sample collection time: 1st January - 31st December 2013

Samples to be investigated are leftover sera and plasma from blood samples that are taken from pet cats and shelter cats to some other diagnostic purposes. No blood is drawn solely for this study. Participation is voluntary, and with the owner’s consent. 

The results of this study are reported only in aggregate form, and the results of an individual cat will not be available.

If you are a cat owner and your veterinarian is sending a sample of your cat to the diagnostic laboratory EMÜ VLI verelaboratoorium (Kreutzwaldi 62, Tartu) and you wish to participate in this study, the sample can be accompanied by a signed consent form and filled questionnaire [download consent form].  All information collected will be treated confidentially and used for research purposes only. 

If you are a veterinarian sending samples to the diagnostic laboratory EMÜ VLI verelaboratoorium (Kreutzwaldi 62, Tartu), it would be highly appreciated if you print out these forms [download consent form] to your clinic and promote our study. If you are a veterinarian working in a cat shelter and interested to participate, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

Thank you for your interest in our study!

Kärt Must, kart.must[at]emu.ee 

Brian Lassen, brian.lassen[at]gmail.com

Estonian University of Life Sciences

An overview of faecal parasitological investigations in Estonian animals

Author: Brian Lassen

The data presented here is collected from the official reports of the Estonian Veterinary and Food Laboratory (VAFL) and presented using the Gapminder motion chart tool, which is available through Google Documents.

With this chart, we encourage you to explore the history of samples sent to VAFL from 2000 to 2010. You can adjust the X and Y axis to what you wish to observe and press the play button. You can mark specific animal species of interest and follow the development over time by clicking on the bubble or tick it in the side menu.

Different animal species were investigated every year. Faecal samples were investigated for different pathogens (parasites, bacteria, viruses, and fungi). One type of animal, such as "cattle", will make up a proportion of these samples and is represented by the Y-axis. For larger or smaller proportions of samples sent for diagnostics were faecal samples - this proportion is represented by the X-axis. The size of the bubble represent the number of faecal samples submitted that year from that animal. You can also alter the axis' to the sums by choosing in the pull-down menu.

As example, mark "Cattle" and run. Notice how the proportion parasitological faecal samples investigated from cattle make up a large proportion of the faecal samples every year, but with huge fluctuations. At the same time the number of samples sent for investigations from cattle increase over time, but the proportion of parasitological faecal samples out of all kinds of investigations in cattle do not pass 20%.
One interpretation of this is that cattle is seen as important compared to other kinds of animals (horses for example) by those who submit samples to VAFL for parasitological investigations. Still the number of submitted samples are not very large. At the same time the focus of cattle investigations switched towards other types (bacteriological). 

For exploring the graph try answering the following questions by exploring the interactive figure.

• Which animals are most frequently submitted faecal samples from? Does it change over time?
• Is it mainly small or large animals that are submitted to the laboratories? Does it change over time?
• Is the diversity of sample types (different species of animals) changing over time?
• Do the submission of samples from different animals reflect what you would expect for that animal group regarding parasites that could be detected in faecal samples?
• Are the number of faecal samples from different animals having large or small variations?

We remind you this is not research data, but simply what is submitted to the diagnostic laboratories in Estonia and should be viewed as such. Still, exactly what is being submitted over time tells interesting stories. We encourage to explore.