Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Seagull Chicks Is Related to the Consumption of Freshwater Food Resources
Cabezón Ponsoda, Óscar (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Cerdà-Cuéllar, Marta (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Morera, Virginia (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal)
García-Bocanegra, Ignacio
González-Solís, Jacob (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal)
Napp Avelli, Sebastián (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Ribas, Maria P. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Blanch-Lázaro, Berta (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Fernández Aguilar, Xavier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Antilles, Noelia (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
López-Soria, Sergio (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Lorca Oró, Cristina (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Dubey, Jitender P.
Almería de la Merced, Sonia (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)

Date:	2016
Abstract:	Understanding the spread of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in wild birds, particularly in those with opportunistic feeding behavior, is of interest for elucidating the epidemiological involvement of these birds in the maintenance and dissemination of the parasite. Overall, from 2009 to 2011, we collected sera from 525 seagull chicks (Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and Audouin's gull (L. audouinii)) from 6 breeding colonies in Spain and tested them using the modified agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of antibodies against T. gondii. Chick age was estimated from bill length. Main food source of seagull chicks was evaluated using stable isotope analyses from growing scapular feathers. Overall T. gondii seroprevalence was 21. 0% (IC95% 17. 5-24. 4). A generalized linear mixed-effects model indicated that year (2009) and food source (freshwater) were risk factors associated to the individual risk of infection by T. gondii, while age (days) was close to significance. Freshwater food origin was related to the highest seroprevalence levels, followed by marine origin, supporting freshwater and sewages as important routes of dispersion of T. gondii. Year differences could indicate fluctuating rates of exposure of seagull chicks to T. gondii. Age ranged from 4 to 30 days and seropositivity tended to increase with age (P = 0. 07), supporting that seropositivity is related to T. gondii infection rather than to maternal transfer of antibodies, which in gulls is known to sharply decrease with chick age. This study is the first to report T. gondii antibodies in Yellow-legged and Audouin's gulls, thereby extending the range of intermediate hosts for this parasite and underscoring the complexity of its epidemiology.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2012-39830-C02 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2009-11278/BOS
Note:	Altres ajuts: INIA/FAU2008-00012-C02-01
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Toxoplasma gondii ; Gulls ; Fresh water ; Birds ; Oocysts ; Host-pathogen interactions ; Parasitic diseases ; Marine ornithology
Published in:	PloS one, Vol. 11, Num. 3 (March 016) , p. 1-11, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150249
PMID: 26974667

11 p, 243.1 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA-IRTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles