Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in poultry kept under different housing conditions in Israel

Abstract

A Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence survey was conducted in poultry flocks kept under different housing systems in Israel. The seroprevalence rates were 35.4 % (46/130) in battery-raised chicken egg-layers from Jerusalem which were first raised on the ground, 12.5 % (19/152) in free-range chickens from various locations of the country and 9 % (4/45) in turkeys from the north. However, all broilers (50) and chicken breeding stock (58) kept under high biosecurity conditions in Jerusalem were found to be T. gondii seronegative. It is concluded that high biosecurity conditions prevent contamination with oocysts by rendering premises inaccessible to cats.