Suburban white-tailed deer seropositive for Toxoplasma gondii from Chicago, Illinois

• Published in: Parasitology research (1987) Vol. 118; no. 7; pp. 2271 - 2276
• Main Authors: Hollis-Etter, Karmen M., Anchor, Christopher L., Chelsvig, James E., Dubey, J. P., Warner, Richard E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Deer; Forest reserves; Immunology; Immunology and Host-Parasite Interactions - Original Paper; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Protection and preservation; Protozoa; Public health; Serology; Toxoplasma gondii; White-tailed deer; Zoonoses; New York; Illinois; Ohio; Chicago Illinois; Suburban; Prevalence; White-tailed deer; Illinois; Toxoplasma gondii
• ISSN: 0932-0113; 1432-1955
• DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06347-1

The presence and abundance of vertebrates influences the circulation of zoonotic diseases. White-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) are widely distributed in North America and deer densities are frequently high in unhunted areas, including most major metropolitan regions. This study investigated the seroprevalence for Toxoplasma gondii from live-captured and culled deer sampled in two suburban forest preserves around Chicago, Illinois, from 1995 to 1999. Seroprevalence for T . gondii was 55.9% ( n  = 443) and was significantly higher at the northern study site, Des Plaines. Seroprevalence for T . gondii varied by year and month. Multivariate logistic regression (LR) screened main effect variables (age, sex, site, year, and month) by backward stepwise elimination. The final LR model for T . gondii contained all main effect variables. This study provides baseline data for future T . gondii suburban deer studies and information to public health and wildlife officials regarding the prevalence a parasitic pathogen present in two public forest preserves in Chicago, Illinois.