Toxoplasma gondii in protected wildlife in the Tatra National Park (TANAP), Slovakia

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular protozoan parasite that infects a broad spectrum of warm-blooded vertebrate species. As a part of the food chain, farm animals play a significant role in transmission of T gondii to humans, while rats and mice serve as a main source of infection for free-living animals. The spread of toxoplasmosis in the human population is due to the interchange of the domestic and sylvatic cycles. During 2009-2011, a survey on toxoplasmosis distribution was conducted in wildlife of the Tatra National Park (TANAP) in Slovakia. A total of 60 animals were examined. The presence of T.gondii was detected by means of molecular methods based on TGR1E gene analyses. The highest prevalence was recorded in birds (40.0%), followed by carnivores (30.8%) and rodents (18.2%). RFLP analyses of SAG2 locus confirmed in birds the genotype II and Ill, belonging to the avirulent strain; rodents exclusively had genotype I, characterised as a virulent strain, and in carnivores all three genotypes were detected. These results present the first survey on the parasite's occurrence in several species of free-living animals in the TANAP area. An epidemiological study confirmed the prevalence of 30.0%, implicitly referring to the level of environmental contamination with T gondii oocysts.