Detection of Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies in Nigerian Free-range Chickens using Indirect FluorescentAntibody Test (IFAT)

The detection of Toxoplasmagondii antibodies in free-range chickens (FRC) has become a method for monitoring soil contamination withT. gondiioocysts shed in cat faeces.Although several methods have been employed for T. gondiiantibody detection in chicken sera, limited information is available on the use of indirect fluorescentantibody test (IFAT) for this purpose. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of IgGantibodiesto T. gondii in the sera of 241 FRC randomly obtained from 10 local government areas (LGAs) of Oyo state, southwestern Nigeria using IFAT. Antibodies specific forT. gondii were detected in 26(10.8%)serawith titre of 1:25 in 26 samples, and 1:50 in 5 samples. Seropositive FRC were detected in all 10 LGAs of Oyo State. There was no significant association between T. gondii seroprevalence and age, gender orsource of the FRC. The results of the present study show that the IFAT is valuable in detecting antibodies to T. gondii in FRC sera and that infection of these chickens with T. gondii is widespread in the study area. Adequate precautions should be taken during preparationof FRC from the study area for food, as they could serve as potential source of infection for humans.