Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in domestic sheep in the Faroe Islands

Little has been known about the zoonotic parasite <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in the remote isolated archipelago of the Faroe Islands. This study was conducted to estimate <i>T. gondii</i> seroprevalence in domestic sheep in the Faroe Islands. We tested samples from 122 sheep slaughtered for human consumption in October 2021 for presence of antibodies against the parasite using a commercial multi-species ELISA. The sheep originated from 14 land lots across the Faroe Islands. Four sheep were seropositive for <i>T. gondii</i>, corresponding to a seroprevalence estimate of 3.3 %. All four seropositive sheep were adult ewes; the seroprevalence estimate among adult ewes was 19.0 %. At least one seropositive sheep was found from three of the 14 land lots (21.4 %). All seropositive sheep were adult ewes, suggesting acquired infections from oocysts. The infections occurred in three distant out-fields, indicating multifocal environmental oocyst contamination.