Mercier A., Garba M., Bonnabau H., Kane M., Rossi J.P., Dardé M.L., Dobigny Gauthier. (2013). Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in urban rodents : a survey in Niamey, Niger. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 108 (4), p. 399-407. ISSN 0074-0276.
Titre du document
Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in urban rodents : a survey in Niamey, Niger
Mercier A., Garba M., Bonnabau H., Kane M., Rossi J.P., Dardé M.L., Dobigny Gauthier
Source
Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 2013,
108 (4), p. 399-407 ISSN 0074-0276
A serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii was conducted on 766 domestic and peridomestic rodents from 46 trapping sites throughout the city of Niamey, Niger. A low seroprevalence was found over the whole town with only 1.96% of the rodents found seropositive. However, differences between species were important, ranging from less than 2% in truly commensal Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus and Mus musculus, while garden-associated Arvicanthis niloticus displayed 9.1% of seropositive individuals. This is in line with previous studies on tropical rodents - that we reviewed here - which altogether show that Toxoplasma seroprevalence in rodent is highly variable, depending on many factors such as locality and/or species. Moreover, although we were not able to decipher statistically between habitat or species effect, such a contrast between Nile grass rats and the other rodent species points towards a potentially important role of environmental toxoplasmic infection. This would deserve to be further scrutinised since intra-city irrigated cultures are extending in Niamey, thus potentially increasing Toxoplasma circulation in this yet semi-arid region. As far as we are aware of, our study is one of the rare surveys of its kind performed in Sub-Saharan Africa and the first one ever conducted in the Sahel.
Plan de classement
Entomologie médicale / Parasitologie / Virologie [052]
;
Sciences du monde animal [080]
