Seroprevalence and occupational risk of Toxoplasma gondii in veterinary practitioners from Suba, Bogotá, Colombia

Authors

  • Ángela Pérez M. Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia - UNIAGRARIA, Semillero Ciencias Veterinarias y Seguridad Alimentaria, Bogotá, Colombia
  • Natalia Orjuela M. Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia - UNIAGRARIA, Semillero Ciencias Veterinarias y Seguridad Alimentaria, Bogotá, Colombia
  • María Moreno O. Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia - UNIAGRARIA, Programa de Medicina Veterinaria, Bogotá, Colombia
  • Nicolás Hernández-Gallo Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia – UNIAGRARIA, Especialización en Salud Pública Veterinaria, Bogotá, Colombia
  • John Infante-González Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia - UNIAGRARIA, Programa de Medicina Veterinaria, Bogotá, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9867-995X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15381/rivep.v36i2.28042

Keywords:

Zoonosis, animal contact, IgG antibodies, IgM antibodies, Odds Ratio

Abstract

The complexity of the life cycle and the wide distribution of Toxoplasma gondii mean that humans are constantly exposed to this pathogen, especially those who work closely with animals, such as veterinarians. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the occupational risk factor of veterinarians to this parasite compared to people outside this profession in the town of Suba, Bogotá, Colombia. A total of 146 participants (80 veterinarians and 66 non-veterinary medicine individuals [controls]) were surveyed and tested for IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies. An overall seroprevalence of 26% for IgG and 0.7% for IgM was found. The seroprevalence of T. gondii among veterinarians and controls was 23.8 and 28.8%, respectively, with an Odds Ratio of 1.3 (p>0.05). Furthermore, contact with cats during professional practice did not show a significant increase in the risk of being seropositive among veterinarians. In conclusion, in the town of Suba, Bogotá, occupational exposure of veterinarians to cats does not seem to increase the risk of T. gondii infection.

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Published

2025-04-30

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Artículos Primarios

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Ángela Pérez M., Natalia Orjuela M., María Moreno O., Nicolás Hernández-Gallo, John Infante-González

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

AUTHORS RETAIN THEIR RIGHTS:

a. Authors retain their trade mark rights and patent, and also on any process or procedure described in the article.

b. Authors retain their right to share, copy, distribute, perform and publicly communicate their article (eg, to place their article in an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in the Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Perú (RIVEP).

c. Authors retain theirs right to make a subsequent publication of their work, to use the article or any part thereof (eg a compilation of his papers, lecture notes, thesis, or a book), always indicating the source of publication (the originator of the work, journal, volume, number and date).

How to Cite

Pérez M., Ángela, Orjuela M., N., Moreno O., M., Hernández-Gallo, N., & Infante-González, J. (2025). Seroprevalence and occupational risk of Toxoplasma gondii in veterinary practitioners from Suba, Bogotá, Colombia. Revista De Investigaciones Veterinarias Del Perú, 36(2), e28042. https://doi.org/10.15381/rivep.v36i2.28042