Academic Journal
A comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in animals from Iraq.
| Τίτλος: | A comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in animals from Iraq. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | El-Alfy ES; Parasitology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt., Abbas I; Parasitology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt. ielsayed@mans.edu.eg.; Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Environment, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki, Miyagi, Japan. ielsayed@mans.edu.eg. |
| Πηγή: | Tropical animal health and production [Trop Anim Health Prod] 2026 Sep 22; Vol. 58 (8). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 22. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 1277355 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-7438 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00494747 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Trop Anim Health Prod Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 2005- : Heidelberg : Springer Original Publication: Edinburgh, Livingstone. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Neospora*/isolation & purification , Neospora*/genetics , Toxoplasmosis, Animal*/epidemiology , Toxoplasmosis, Animal*/parasitology , Coccidiosis*/epidemiology , Coccidiosis*/veterinary , Coccidiosis*/parasitology , Toxoplasma*/isolation & purification , Toxoplasma*/genetics , Goat Diseases*/epidemiology , Goat Diseases*/parasitology , Sheep Diseases*/epidemiology , Sheep Diseases*/parasitology , Cat Diseases*/epidemiology , Cat Diseases*/parasitology, Iraq/epidemiology ; Zoonoses/epidemiology ; Zoonoses/parasitology ; Abortion, Veterinary/parasitology ; Abortion, Veterinary/epidemiology ; Horse Diseases/epidemiology ; Horse Diseases/parasitology ; Animals ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Goats ; Sheep ; Cats ; Prevalence ; Horses ; Birds ; Female |
| Περίληψη: | The present study provides the first comprehensive evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections in Iraqi animals and birds. Data from 116 Iraqi studies were subjected to various meta-analyses, and all published Iraqi T. gondii-SAG3 and N. caninum-NC5 nucleotide sections were molecularly analyzed. For T. gondii, the pooled prevalence estimates in various animals exceeded the global averages. Cats showed a high seroprevalence (45.2%) and oocyst shedding (16.7%), suggesting a widespread environmental contamination. Sheep and goats exhibited high pooled seroprevalence (46.9% and 47.9%, respectively), and T. gondii DNA was frequently detected in sheep meat and goat milk, indicating their potential zoonotic risk. Nonetheless, limited studies tested T. gondii DNA in blood/tissues of aborted small ruminants, highlighting an important gap. Molecular analysis of 113 T. gondii isolates illustrated the predominance of the clonal types I and III, and their co-circulation among humans, animals, and birds, suggesting active zoonotic transmission. N. caninum displayed a seroprevalence of 12.3% and 8.1% in sheep and goats, respectively. N. caninum DNA was detected in aborted sheep, goats, and equines, highlighting its potential role in animal abortions in Iraq. However, N. caninum role in cattle abortions is unclear, but aborted cattle had a higher pooled N. caninum seroprevalence (21.2%) than non-aborted cattle (15.4%). Nine N. caninum haplotypes were detected across 22 isolates, with a shared haplotype between sheep and goats. These findings suggest the endemic situation of both protozoa in Iraqi animals and emphasize the need for integrated "One Health" surveillance to implement effective control strategies. (© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. |
| References: | Acta Parasitol. 2025 Aug 7;70(4):167. (PMID: 40773076) BMJ. 2021 Mar 29;372:n71. (PMID: 33782057) Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract. 2020 Mar;36(1):205-222. (PMID: 32029185) Res Vet Sci. 2020 Oct;132:292-307. (PMID: 32711218) Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2021 Feb 12;30(1):e023020. (PMID: 33605388) PLoS One. 2013 Aug 06;8(8):e72678. (PMID: 23940816) Mol Biol Evol. 2013 Dec;30(12):2725-9. (PMID: 24132122) Arch Razi Inst. 2021 Jan;75(4):463-471. (PMID: 33403841) Prev Vet Med. 2020 Mar;176:104913. (PMID: 32066027) Sci Rep. 2023 Sep 19;13(1):15489. (PMID: 37726382) Vet Parasitol. 1995 Jul;58(4):353-6. (PMID: 8533274) Can Vet J. 2009 Aug;50(8):851-3. (PMID: 19881924) Vet Sci. 2025 Jun 05;12(6):. (PMID: 40559792) Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Nov;69(6):3790-3822. (PMID: 36345796) Parasite Epidemiol Control. 2024 Apr 26;25:e00350. (PMID: 38745996) Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2021 Nov 01;1:100057. (PMID: 35284874) J Infect Dev Ctries. 2020 Aug 31;14(8):800-811. (PMID: 32903221) Mol Biol Evol. 2017 Dec 1;34(12):3299-3302. (PMID: 29029172) Int J Parasitol. 2000 Nov;30(12-13):1217-58. (PMID: 11113252) Pol J Vet Sci. 2023 Sep 20;26(3):349-357. (PMID: 37727044) Res Synth Methods. 2016 Mar;7(1):55-79. (PMID: 26332144) PLoS One. 2022 May 23;17(5):e0268903. (PMID: 35604902) Parasitology. 2014 Apr;141(4):453-61. (PMID: 24477076) Korean J Parasitol. 2009 Dec;47(4):417-20. (PMID: 19967094) Sci Rep. 2021 May 4;11(1):9509. (PMID: 33947922) Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020 May 08;10:204. (PMID: 32457848) Foods. 2022 Aug 22;11(16):. (PMID: 36010541) Food Waterborne Parasitol. 2023 Jun 30;32:e00203. (PMID: 37457632) Parasitology. 2021 Oct;148(12):1417-1433. (PMID: 34187606) Front Vet Sci. 2022 Apr 26;9:870904. (PMID: 35558895) Eur J Med Res. 2024 Oct 28;29(1):520. (PMID: 39468639) Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Feb;57(1):60-73. (PMID: 19744305) Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2023 Dec 21;5:100157. (PMID: 38223290) Acta Trop. 2022 Sep;233:106569. (PMID: 35752203) Vet Parasitol. 2011 Aug 4;180(1-2):90-108. (PMID: 21704458) Vet Parasitol. 2009 Jul 7;163(1-2):1-14. (PMID: 19395175) Iran J Parasitol. 2011 Dec;6(4):95-8. (PMID: 22347319) Acta Parasitol. 2020 Jun;65(2):273-290. (PMID: 31919799) Acta Parasitol. 2021 Sep;66(3):733-744. (PMID: 33666861) Vet Sci. 2022 Feb 17;9(2):. (PMID: 35202340) Prev Vet Med. 2020 Dec;185:105176. (PMID: 33129022) Int J Parasitol. 2013 Feb;43(2):133-42. (PMID: 23246675) Clin Microbiol Rev. 2007 Apr;20(2):323-67. (PMID: 17428888) Methods Mol Biol. 2020;2071:49-80. (PMID: 31758446) Animals (Basel). 2025 Jun 06;15(12):. (PMID: 40564238) Parasitology. 2021 Jan;148(1):1-30. (PMID: 33070787) Acta Parasitol. 2020 Mar;65(1):187-192. (PMID: 31797193) Food Waterborne Parasitol. 2022 Aug 17;28:e00176. (PMID: 36039091) Vet Parasitol. 2012 Jun 8;187(1-2):312-8. (PMID: 22260901) Pathogens. 2025 Feb 10;14(2):. (PMID: 40005549) Parasitology. 2020 Feb;147(2):135-159. (PMID: 31559938) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Animals; Iraq; Neospora caninum; Toxoplasma gondii |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260922 Date Completed: 20260922 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261008 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11250-026-05303-3 |
| PMID: | 42773359 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1573-7438 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11250-026-05303-3 |