Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur): a comparison of cat-free and cat-exposed populations
Philippa A. McKay
A , Jasmin Hufschmid B * , Anna L. Meredith A B , Patsy A. Zendejas-Heredia B and Katherine E. Moseby C D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK.
B Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Vic. 3030, Australia.
C School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2033, Australia.
D Arid Recovery Ltd, PO Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA 5725, Australia.
Australian Journal of Zoology 69(5) 175-183 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO22010
Submitted: 12 March 2022 Accepted: 31 May 2022 Published: 20 July 2022
© 2021 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan transmitted by felids and infection, morbidity, and mortality occur in numerous marsupial species. This study explores the relationship between cat exposure and Toxoplasma in burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) in the Arid Recovery Reserve (ARR), South Australia. We estimated seroprevalence, using a modified agglutination test for T. gondii-specific immunoglobulins, in cat-free and cat-exposed bettong populations. Tissue samples collected opportunistically from bettong carcasses and from cats within and around the reserve were screened for T. gondii DNA using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (M-qPCR). Two cats trapped inside the ARR tested positive (50.0%; 95% CI: 15.0–85.0%). All bettongs tested from the cat-free (n = 48) and cat-exposed (n = 19) exclosures were seronegative (95% CI: 0–7.41% and 0–16.82% respectively). We found no evidence of fatal toxoplasmosis, with all bettong carcasses negative on M-qPCR (n = 11). We propose that T. gondii was not detected in bettongs coexisting with cats primarily due to low exposure of bettongs at the time of sampling, possibly due to poor oocyst viability in arid conditions or low shedding by cats. Ongoing screening throughout high and low rainfall years should be conducted to better establish the risk of Toxoplasma to bettongs in the ARR.
Keywords: arid zone, Australian native marsupials, feral cats, modified agglutination test, multiplex real-time PCR, parasite, reintroduction, toxoplasmosis.
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