Serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in wild boar (Sus scrofa), an invasive species in Brazil.

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis and neosporosis can affect wild boar (sus scrofa) and pose an unsuspected risk to human, animal and ecosystem health. Different studies have demonstrated the participation of wild boars in the biological cycles of these pathogens, with a variable prevalence rate in different regions recorded in Brazil and in the world. Studies that integrate knowledge about wild boar endoparasites in Brazil are scarce and due to reports of the increasing dispersion and impact of this species across the country, the present work aims to evaluate the seroepidemiology of infection by Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in wild boars, relating the infection with the characteristics of the host (sex, weight, age group, reproductive phase in the case of females) and the environment by georeferenced analysis in the states of São Paulo, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. The samples collected will undergo the Indirect Immunofluorescence Reaction (IFAT) test for the evaluation of IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Neospora caninum antibodies. The associations between serological results and independent variables will be analyzed using Pearson's bivariate chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while the data and GPS coordinates of the captured animals will be analyzed using the QGis version 3.22.0 software.