Prevalencia de toxoplasma gondii en felinos silvestres de centros de acogida en la provincia del Guayas.

Abstract

Today, concern and curiosity about wildlife have been increasing. Felines are very diverse wild animals in our territory, although they are becoming less and less common to sight. The research carried out was based on the previously acquired knowledge of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic cats and the fact that they are known to be definitive hosts. There are few studies on parasites in wild felines. While the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild felines is not unknown, previous studies have relied on PCR analysis of blood samples. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of PCR analysis on fresh fecal samples, in addition to standard coproparasitological examinations, to determine the presence of this protozoan using a less invasive and less stressful method for the wild felines studied. A total of 10 wild felines from the subfamily Felinae were analyzed in this study: two Herpailurus yagoaroundi and eight Leopardus pardalis. Two sampling events were conducted with an interval of 12 to 15 days between each collection. The first sampling involved a PCR and coprological analysis, while the second sampling consisted solely of a coproparasitological examination. The results of the tests performed did not indicate the presence of Toxoplasma gondii, although they did reveal a high prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites, more specifically nematodes.