Toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii is a widely distributed protozoan disease capable of infecting a variety of animal species. Felids, both domestic and wild, are capable of serving as definitive hosts, shedding T.gondii oocysts in their faeces.
People acquire toxoplasmosis posnatally by ingesting T.gondii oocysts from contaminated environments or by consuming T.gondii tissue cysts in inadequately meat products, raw meat containing tissue cysts or by ingestion of resistant oocysts from environmental matrices (soil, water, fruits and vegetables).
However, the impact of oocysts in toxoplasmosis epidemiology needs to be specified because they are suspected to be associated with T.gondii seroprevalence in some emerging outbreaks of acute toxoplasmosis in humans from soil or water. They are probably responsible for a significant part of infections in animals that could be later consumed by humans.
Detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental samples is great challenge as this coccidian parasite can be responsible for severe infections in humans and animals via ingestion of a single oocyst from contaminated water, soil, fruits or vegetables.
The present proposed study was designed to develop methods for the detection of oocysts
from Water, soil, food and parks environment.
The results of recovery test showed that it was possible to detect Tooplasma gondii parasite from water samples collected from various sources i e, drinking water from muncipility, lakes, pools, various reservoirs around farms and from tube wells. From the results ,The highest (13%) prevalence was reported from water around farms followed by lakes & pools (9%) then water reservoirs (7%) whereas the lowest from drinking water & tubewells i e 6 & 6 percent respectively.
A total of 250 samples of fruits and vegetables were collected for detection of T. gondii . From the results, it was noted that overall prevalence of T. gondii infection was higher in vegetables i e 5.6 % than fruits (4 %).
A total of 250 soil samples were collected from urban and rural areas. Of these 125 were from urban areas and 125 from rural areas. From the table-3 it was shown that the highest prevalence of T. gondii infection was noted in gardens and back yards of homes and gardens i e 20 & 20 % respectively. In these places cats often defecate and become a source of infection. Then followed by public enclosures where infection was 14.3%. The lowest i e 13.3% infection was noted at homes of urban areas.
T. gondii infection in rural areas indicated that It was highest (20% ) in home back yards followed by homes (16.7%) then public enclosure (14.5%) whereas the lowest (13.3%) at gardens of rural areas.