Serological Evidence of Anti-Toxoplasma Gondii Antibodies and Haematological and Serum Biochemical Alterations in Wild Rats and Humans in Nigeria

Rats serve as carriers of Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes a global zoonotic disease referred to as toxoplasmosis, and thus play a very important role in the epidemiology of the disease. This study evaluated the occurrence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies, haematology and serum biochemistry in wild rats and humans in Nigeria where wild rats are consumed by humans as source of animal protein. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) was used to detect anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum of 33 wild rats (Zyzomys pedunculatus) caught in the villages and 20 consenting humans in the study area. Blood samples collected from the rats and humans were further subjected to haematological and biochemical evaluations. Out of the 33 rats sampled, three (9.09