Some animals with Toxoplasma remain healthy because their Toxoplasmosis in a Herd of Kangaroos By Erin Edwards, DVM, MS, DACVP, Gabriel Gomez, DVM, PhD, DACVP, and Jay Hoffman, DVM, PhD, DACVP Four kangaroos from the same small herd were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Clinically, the DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. It is also carried in the muscles of infected: rodents (for example rats and mice) pigs; sheep; kangaroos; other warm blooded animals (including birds). Experimental infections undertaken in four eastern grey kangaroos, as part of a validation study for T. gondii serological tests, did not result in clinical toxoplasmosis. Its causative agent, Toxoplasma gondii, is a facultatively heteroxenous, polyxenous protozoon that has developed several potential routes of transmission within and between different host species. Jaw disease in kangaroos and wallabies, while uncommon in animals living in the free state, is a major cause of death in captive macropods. Jensen, D.V.M. All 12 mice inoculated with solutions from infected organs died 2 to 14 days later and T. gondii were seen in their liver and lung tissue smears and in the ascitic fluid of 4 mice. Toxoplasmosis was investigated in an eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, and four cape hyraxes, Procavia capensis, in a Japanese zoo. The protozoan is the source of one of the most common parasitic infections in humans, livestock, companion animals, and wildlife, and has gained notoriety with its inclusion on the list of potential bioterrorism microbes. Results of the study suggest that vertical transmission of T. gondii can occur in chronically infected Australian marsupials. Toxoplasmosis is a confirmed killer of other Australian wildlife, including Tammar wallabies, koalas, wombats, and several small dasyurids. Human infection occurs when the parasite is taken in by mouth. How toxoplasmosis is spread. Loeffler** Introduction Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite which can infect many mammalian and avian species.1'2,4'5'7'8'9 Toxoplasmosis is a disease with worldwide distribution3 and is one of the most widespread diseases in the Wright** D.G. detected in the sick wallaby, such as hyperproteinaemia, 30, no. Rapid identification of virulent type I strains of the protozoan pathogen Toxoplasma gondii by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis at the B1 gene. Vet Parasitol, 30(2):97-105, 01 Dec 1988 Cited by: 30 articles | PMID: 3245110 kangaroos suggests that T. gondii-positive animals are not more vulnerable to road mortality, in contrast to that suggested previously. The T. gondii seroprevalence in male western grey kangaroos was significantly less than their female counterparts (p=0.038), which may be related to behavioural differences causing differences in exposure to oocysts or recrudescence of T. gondii infection in pregnant females. Toxoplasmosis in black-faced kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus melanops). 10 chronically infected western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) and in the unfurred pouch young of a brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata). In this report, we describe a case of presumptive acute toxoplasmosis with a history of neurological signs, in a captive red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) from the zoo of Hamm. About 10 kangaroos were sampled on the mainland and then on the island at two month intervals for a year and tested for T. gondii antibodies.. For kangaroos on Harry Waring Marsupial Reserve, a positive test result in February, May, or both was counted as a positive result. Diana Bacigalupe Jitender P. Dubey, Klaus Odening, TissueInhabiting Protozoans: Toxoplasmosis and Related Infections, Parasitic Diseases of Wild Mammals, 10.1002/9780470377000, (478-519), Eimeria and Isospora typically complete their life cycles in one host. Fatal generalized toxoplasmosis in red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) has been reported recently [4, 5]. Implications. Macropodids are considered highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis. kangaroos and wallabies, many are species specific: they can cause disease in one species but not in others. The parasite was initially described by Nicolle and Manceaux in 1908 from the rodent, Ctenodactylus gundi.Infection with T. gondii is one of the most common parasitic infections of man and other warm-blooded animals. When compared with the commercially available MAT (modified agglutination test), the ELISA developed was in absolute agreement and yielded a kappa coefficient of 1.00. Received: Revised: Accepted: January 21, 2013 April 23, 2013 May 05, 2013 Toxoplasmosis was investigated in an eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, and four cape hyraxes, Procavia capensis, in a Japanese zoo. Gorman, V. Hsiao, J.K. Whittington and J.N. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association , 189 (9), 1166-1169. Of 219 kangaroos tested, 15.5% (95%CI: 10.7-20.3) were positive for T. gondii antibodies using an ELISA developed to detect T. gondii IgG in macropod marsupials.