Toxoplasmosis in feral wild boars (Sus scrofa) from São Paulo State

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide distributed zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic protozoan that infect a several animal species, including wild boars. Wild boars are currently one of the invasive exotic species that cause great damage to ecosystems and agriculture, also acting as diseases reservoirs. In Brazil, an enactment of lethal control for wild boars was decreed by the Normative Instruction Ibama nº 03/2013, of January 31, 2013, that emphasizes the harmfulness of these animals and disposes about its handling and control. After this authorization, the hunting and, consequntly, the consume of wild boar meat has increased. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the presence of T. gondii in the wild boar tissues, with further molecular characterization, coontributing to the knowledge on the importance of wild boars to the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in São Paulo.