Kudriavchenko O. Prevalence and diagnostic methods of toxoplasmosis in cats and dogs

In this thesis the materials of own in-house studies on the prevalence and diagnostics of toxoplasmosis in cats and dogs in Ukraine and Kyiv are laid out. A PCR test system «Toxo-test» for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in cats and dogs was developed and evaluated in a laboratory of veterinary medicine for the first time. This test system identifies Toxoplasma gondii in different biological materials and the environment. A screening study was performed to identify cats and dogs infected with Toxoplasma gondii using the developed test kit. The practicability of the PCR method for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was experimentally demonstrated. Using PCR it was determined that 26,1 % and 12,4 % of the tested cats and dogs had a positive reaction to the presence of the Toxoplasma gondii DNA. Furthermore, the prevalence did not depend on the sex of cats and dogs. Both males and females were infected. A comparative evaluation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and carpological method was performed.