Yaghoub Firouzivand - Department of Pathobiology, Malekan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Malekan, Iran

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common zoonotic parasites worldwide. Among livestock, sheep have a higher prevalence of T. gondii infection. Toxoplasmosis causes abortion in sheep and has a high economic impact on sheep breeding. Human infection mainly occurs by eating undercooked or raw meat containing tissue cysts. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of T. gondii in the sheep slaughtered at the Malekan slaughterhouse. Of ۳۰۰ sheep, ۶۳ (۲۱%) were serologically positive for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. Of ۱۳۳ male and ۱۶۷ female sheep, the infection rates were determined as ۱۷.۲۹% and ۲۳.۹۵%, respectively. The sheep were divided into three age groups: ۱-۲, ۲-۳, and over three years old, with infection rates of ۲۳.۲۶%, ۱۹.۰۲%, and ۲۶.۶۶%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between the age and sex of sheep with the prevalence of T. gondii. This study shows that sheep are an important source of T. gondii. Since sheep are an important animal to produce livestock production such as meat in the region, it is suggested to consume meat after it is fully cooked to prevent and reduce infection. It is recommended that more studies should be conducted to compare the results obtained with the method used in this study with other serological and molecular methods.

Malekan, MAT, Sheep, Toxoplasma gondii