Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from goats with a history of reproductive disorders and the prevalence of toxoplasma and chlamydial antibodies

The prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia psittaci was assessed in goats with a history of abortion, stillbirth and neonatal mortality. Antibodies were detected in 540 (30 %) and 57 (3.2 %) goats out of 1799 tested by indirect haemagglutination and complement fixation tests, respectively. Toxoplasma gondii was isolated for the first time in Botswana from 22 out of 81 sets (27.2 %) of foetal tissues, maternal and foetal cotyledons and uterine tissues of goats which had previously aborted or given birth to stillborn or weak kids that died within two days of birth. These results implicate T gondii and C. psittaci, but especially the former, to be associated with caprine reproductive problems and require appropriate control measures.