SOROPREVALÊNCIA E PESQUISA DE OOCISTOS DE Toxoplasma gondii EM FELÍDEOS SELVAGENS PROCEDENTES DO ESTADO DO PARÁ, BRASIL.

The toxoplasmosis, one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world, caused by intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is able to infect many animal species, among which the felidae are the only definitive hosts. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in wild felidae kept in captivity in two municipalities of the state of Para. It were used 21 serum samples from four species of wild felidae: Herpailurus yaguarondi (2) (Jaguarundi), Leopardus pardalis (7) (Ocelot), L. wiedii (1) (Margay) and Panthera onca (11) (Jaguar) who were assessed by serological methods of indirect hemagglutination (IHA) and modified direct agglutination test (MAT). Besides serology, were also conducted coproparasitologic tests to detect possible oocysts present in their faeces. Among the samples analyzed, 18 (85.7%) were positive. Twelve (57.1%) animals were seropositive by the IHA technique and 14 (66.7%) by MAT technique. The concordance between both techniques was null. One animal of the Herpailurus was negative in IHA and positive in MAT and the other was positive in IHA and negative in MAT, in Leopardus, 50% and 75% animals were positive in IHA and in MAT, and in the Panthera, 63.64% in both techniques. Higher titers were obtained from a margay (1024) by MAT. No oocysts of T. gondii were found in the feces of any animal studied. It was found that there is a high occurrence of toxoplasmosis in the cities studied and that the chosen technique can affect the serological diagnosis of the disease.