Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Wild Boar in the Republic of Korea

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan zoonotic parasite that is endemic throughout most parts of the world. T. gondii utilizes a wide range of warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts, which are commonly infected by ingesting T. gondii oocysts on environmental contaminants. Hence, widely distributed wild animals, such as deer and wild boar, may function as an indicator for contaminated environments. In this study, we estimated the seroprevalence of T. gondii and identified the related risk factors in wild boar (Sus scrofa) and Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus), which are the two most abundant wild ungulates in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Overall seroprevalence was 34.9% in wild boar and 29.9% in Korean water deer. In both species, the seroprevalence was influenced by season, but not by sex. In wild boars, T. gondii seroprevalence was also strongly associated with the year and body mass. The results from this study suggest that T. gondii is endemic in both of the studied species and that the prevalence may vary in association with relevant factors such as sex, season, and year. Hence, constant monitoring will be required to gain information on the distribution of and fluctuation in T. gondii prevalence in wild hosts, which will be useful when educating the hunting community regarding the danger of parasite exposure when dealing with wild boar carcasses.