Title |
TOXOPLASMA GONDII ANTIBODY PREVALENCE AND TWO NEW GENOTYPES OF THE PARASITE IN ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN GEESE (NENE: BRANTA SANDVICENSIS)
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Published in |
Journal of Wildlife Diseases, March 2016
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DOI | 10.7589/2015-09-235 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Thierry M. Work, Shiv K. Verma, Chunlei Su, John Medeiros, Thomas Kaiakapu, Oliver C. Kwok, Jitender P. Dubey |
Abstract |
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite transmitted by domestic cats ( Felis catus ) that has historically caused mortality in native Hawaiian birds. To estimate how widespread exposure to the parasite is in nene (Hawaiian Geese, Branta sandvicensis), we did a serologic survey for T. gondii antibody and genetically characterized parasite DNA from the tissues of dead birds that had confirmed infections by immunohistochemistry. Of 94 geese sampled, prevalence on the island of Kauai, Maui, and Molokai was 21% (n=42), 23% (n=31), and 48% (n=21), respectively. Two new T. gondii genotypes were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism from four geese, and these appeared segregated geographically. Exposure to T. gondii in wild nene is widespread and, while the parasite is not a major cause of death, it could have sublethal or behavioral effects. How to translate such information to implement effective ways to manage feral cats in Hawaii poses challenges. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 1 | 2% |
France | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 64 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Master | 10 | 15% |
Other | 9 | 14% |
Researcher | 9 | 14% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 8 | 12% |
Student > Bachelor | 5 | 8% |
Other | 12 | 18% |
Unknown | 13 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 19 | 29% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 9 | 14% |
Environmental Science | 6 | 9% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 6 | 9% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 6% |
Other | 6 | 9% |
Unknown | 16 | 24% |