The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies was investigated among 104 ratites: 68 rheas (Rhea americana), 16 emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), and 20 ostriches (Struthio camelus) in 4 Brazilian states. The prevalence in rheas was 26.5% (18 of 68), and titers were 1:100 (n = 8), 1:200 (n = 1), 1:400 (n = 4), 1:800 (n = 4), and 1:1,600 (n = 1). In emus, the prevalence was 50% (8 of 16), and titers were 1:50 (n = 1) and 1:100 (n = 7). The ostriches were slaughtered for human consumption, and 80% (16 of 20) were seropositive with titers of 1:200 (n = 1), 1:400 (n = 9), and 1:800 (n = 6). Sera were tested with a modified agglutination test, and the results confirmed the distribution of the parasite in ratite species from Brazil. The data obtained in this study show that T. gondii is prevalent among ratites from Brazil, and therefore ratite meat should also be considered a potential source of human infection. This is the first report of T. gondii seroprevalence in emus.

中文翻译：

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巴西平胸鸟体内抗弓形虫抗体的流行情况。


研究人员在巴西 4 个州的 104 只平胸鸟中调查了抗弓形虫抗体的流行情况：68 只美洲鸵 (Rhea americana)、16 只鸸鹋 (Dromaius novaehollandiae) 和 20 只鸵鸟 (Struthio comelus)。美洲鸵的患病率为 26.5%（68 只中的 18 只），滴度为 1:100 (n = 8)、1:200 (n = 1)、1:400 (n = 4)、1:800 (n = 4) ) 和 1:1,600 (n = 1)。在鸸鹋中，患病率为 50%（16 只中的 8 只），滴度为 1:50 (n = 1) 和 1:100 (n = 7)。鸵鸟被屠宰供人类食用，80%（20 只中的 16 只）呈血清阳性，滴度分别为 1:200 (n = 1)、1:400 (n = 9) 和 1:800 (n = 6)。采用改良的凝集试验对血清进行了测试，结果证实了该寄生虫在巴西平胸鸟类中的分布。本研究获得的数据表明，弓形虫在巴西平胸鸟中普遍存在，因此平胸鸟肉也应被视为人类感染的潜在来源。这是鸸鹋体内弓形虫血清阳性率的首次报告。