Comparison of a commercial ELISA with the modified agglutination test for detection of Toxoplasma infection in the domestic pig.

The modified agglutination test (MAT) and a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were compared for detection of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in naturally-infected market-aged pigs. Infected pigs were obtained from commercial slaughter facilities and from farms where infection had previously been detected. Infection was confirmed by bioassay in cats. For 70 bioassay positive pigs, 60 were positive by MAT (85.7% sensitivity) and 62 were positive by ELISA (88.6% sensitivity). Of 204 bioassay negative samples 193 were negative by MAT (94.6% specificity) and 200 were negative by ELISA (98.0% specificity). Good correlation was seen between MAT and ELISA results. The results suggest that the ELISA may be a good tool for epidemiological studies of Toxoplasma infection on pig farms.

Serosurvey of some major zoonotic infections in children and teenagers in Bali, Indonesia.

One hundred and ninety serum samples, mainly from children and teenagers, from northeast Bali were tested for the presence of antibodies against five zoonotic agents: Brucella abortus, Coxiella burnetii, Toxoplasma gondii, Toxocara canis and Trichinella spiralis. All children were negative for brucellosis and Q fever. A high prevalence rate was found for toxocariasis (63.2%) and trichinosis (19.5%). Antibody prevalence against T. gondii was found to be rather low (3.1%). To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of toxoplasmosis, toxocariasis and trichinosis infection in humans on Bali. Eating habits and poor hygiene may explain the frequency of parasitic infestations in the children and teenagers in Bali.