Mohammad Roukbi*⁽¹⁾  Abd AlNaser AL-Oumar⁽¹⁾ Khaled Al-Najjar⁽¹⁾ Zuhair Salam⁽¹⁾  Hussien Al-Suleiman⁽²⁾ Maamoun Mouri⁽²⁾ and Shamel Jourie⁽²⁾ and Abdo Al-Yousef

(1). Animal Wealth Research Administration, Agricultural Research Center in Hama, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Hama, Syria.
(2). Animal Health Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Mohammad Al Roukbi. E-Mail: roukbi2008@yahoo.com).

Received: 09/07/ 2015                                     Accepted: 10/08/ 2015

Abstract

Serological surveys of Toxoplasma gondii were made ​​in ten provinces (governorates) and regions in Syria (Hama, Deir-Al-zoor, Homs, Palmyra, Al- Quamishli, Al-Raqqa, Aleppo, Daraa, Kounaitra, Damascus countryside, and Sweidaa), during a period started from 1^stNovember to 31^th December 2009, in order to elucidate the prevalence and distribution of toxoplasmosis in different parts of Syria. In total 806 blood samples were taken (748 in the second half of pregnancy and from aborted females after 21 days, and 58 from males) representing 12.22% of the total number of small ruminants surveyed, belonging to 26 small private ruminant breeds and 13 research stations, 8 for Awassi sheep and 5 form Damascus and Gabali goats, and subjected to serological analysis for IgG antibodies using Hemagglutination test HAT with a commercially available kit (Toxo-HAT, Fumouze laboratories, Lavalloise-Perret, France). The averages of seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in all provinces, research stations and in flocks of breeders were, 14.9%, 13.98% and 19.46%, respectively. The results showed high seroprevelence specially in Palmyra (33.3 %), and Al- Quamishli (28.3%). High sero-positive reactions were registered in some research stations for sheep like Kasser al-Halabat in Palmyra (33.3%) and in both Jidrin and Wadi-Alazib; in Hama (14.9% and 10.4%, respectively). In herds of breeders high rates of positive results were recorded in Al-Quamishli and Raqqa (23.1% and 21.5% respectively). But some research stations for goats, Karahta (Damascus countryside), and Kodaneh (Kounaitra) stations were free from Toxoplasmosis. It was concluded from the serological investigation that the wide distribution of Toxoplasmosis is in the desert and marginal areas of Syrian and expands towards the north-east with significant differences (p< 0.01) in infection rate between research station and flocks of breeders in different locations (governorates).

Key words: Toxoplasmosis, Seroprevalence, Hemagglutination test HAT, Syria.

Full paper in Arabic:دراسة مسحية  لداء المقوسات القندية عند المجترات الصغيرة في سورية