Detection of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection in Goats and Sheep using the Indirect Haemagglutination Test in Peshawar, Kyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

et al. Detection of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection in Goats and Sheep using the Indirect Haemagglutination Test in Peshawar, Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan. Abstract The goal of this study was to find out how common Toxoplasma gondii infection is in goats and sheep in Peshawar, Pakistan. T. Gondii antibodies were detected in serum using the Indirect Haemagglutination Test (IHA). T. Gondii antibodies were identified in 192 goats (45.71%) out of a total of 420 goats. Male goats had a prevalence of n=49 (28.82%) while female goats had a prevalence of n = 147 (58.80%). Prevalence was greatest in goats aged 3 years (56.90%), followed by those aged 1-2 years (45.59%), and those aged 1 year (28.18%). Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were found in 178 of the 360 sheep tested (49.44%). Out of 150 male sheep, n=79 (52.67%) were found to be seropositive for T. gondii infection, while n=95 (45.24%) were found to be seropositive out of 210 female sheep. Male sheep had a higher incidence of T. gondii than female sheep. Three-year-old sheep had the greatest infection rate (63.57%), followed by 1-2 year-old sheep (52.46%), and one-year-old sheep (25.51%). T. gondii antibodies were found in greater numbers in all goats and sheep, with titers ranging from 1:80 to 1:160. In comparison to goats, sheep had a greater infection rate. The findings of this study show that T. gondii infection is highly frequent in Peshawar goats and sheep, which might be a public health concern in this area because goats and sheep are intermediate hosts for T. gondii. In or-der to reduce the danger of human infection by T. gondii, proper control methods and appropriate measures should be implemented in this location.