Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence and risk factors of cats in the Budapest area

This study aimed to survey the current distribution of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity within the cat population in Budapest area. Therefore, blood samples of 123 cats aged 0.5-18 years were collected. The measurements were performed by the commercial ID Screen® Toxoplasmosis Indirect Multi-species ELISA kit. The results indicate an overall 31.7% of seropositivity, which was significantly increasing with age. A correlation was also detected between the outdoor lifestyle and T. gondii infection. A significantly higher proportion of cats living outdoors were seropositive (38.8%) compared to those living indoor (18.6%) (P = 0.022). Finally, our study indicates a lower T. gondii seropositivity rate in cats compared to previous studies from Hungary, as well as from other European regions.