PREVALENCE OF AGGLUTINATING ANTIBODIES TO TOXOPLASMA-GONDII IN SMALL RUMINANTS OF THE MADRID REGION, SPAIN, AND IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING SEROPOSITIVITY BY MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS

A seroepidemiological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep a nd goats was conducted in the Madrid region of Spain. Sera were collec ted from 60 herds, for which farming management information and other relevant data for their characterization were also obtained through a questionnaire. The seroprevalence was 11.8% (64 out of 541), using the modified (2-mercaptoethanol) direct agglutination technique with a 1: 64 cut-off titre. The relationship between seropositivity and the vari ables in the questionnaire was assessed by multivariate analysis. Four variables were found to be significantly associated with seroprevalen ce. Two of them, the presence of cats and a previous history of aborti on outbreaks in the farm, were factors known to be linked with toxopla smosis, indicating the validity of the serological data. Seropositivit y was also related to a lack of replacements in the preceding year. Pr oximity to other farms appeared to be a protective factor negatively a ssociated with seropositivity, probably because it was an indicator of proximity to an urban area and the availability of local sanitary fac ilities.