Short communication Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from Spain C.B.L. Gauss a , J.P. Dubey b, * , D. Vidal c , F. Ruiz c , J. Vicente c , I. Marco d , S. Lavin d , C. Gortazar c , S. Almerı ´a a,e a Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Anatomy and Animal Health Department, Veterinary School, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona, Spain b Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agricultural, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA c Instituto de Investigacio ´n en Recursos Cinege ´ticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain d Wildlife Ecopathology Service, Animal Medicine and Surgery Department, Veterinary School, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona, Spain e Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona, Spain Received 10 March 2005 Abstract Sera collected from 507 hunter-killed wild pigs (Sus scrofa) between 1993 and 2004 from five geographic regions in northern Spain and seven regions in southern Spain were assayed for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii by the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 185 (38.4%) of 507 pigs with titers of 1:25 in 71, 1:50 in 111 and 1:500 in 3; seroprevalence was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in pigs from southern regions. Seroprevalence was density dependent; it was higher in pigs from high stocking per hectare and availability of forage. Statistically significant differences were not observed between T. gondii seroprevalence and hunting estates (open versus fenced), sex or age. Serological results indicate a widespread exposure to T. gondii among Spanish wild boars, suggesting that this population could represent a public health risk for persons that handle or consume raw or undercooked infected wild pig meat. Published by Elsevier B.V. Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii; Wild boars; Sus scrofa; Modified agglutination test; Spain 1. Introduction Infection by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is prevalent worldwide in most warm-blooded hosts (Dubey and Beattie, 1988). Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) are considered an important source of T. gondii infection in humans (Dubey and Beattie, 1988) and acute toxoplasmosis has been reported in hunters that have consumed uncooked infected meat from wild pigs (Choi et al., 1997). Wild pigs are omnivores that root the ground to search for food and they consume a large variety of www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar Veterinary Parasitology 131 (2005) 151–156 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 301 504 8128; fax: +1 301 504 9222. E-mail address: jdubey@anri.barc.usda.gov (J.P. Dubey). 0304-4017/$ – see front matter. Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2005.04.023