Comparison of a Commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) with the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) for the Detection of Antibodies against in a Cohort of Hunting Dogs.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease, caused by the protozoan , affecting most warm-blooded animals. Assessing the seroprevalence of in different animal species gives a good estimate of the global circulation of the parasite and the risk for human infections. However, the seroprevalence of in dogs is not studied as much as other species, despite their close contact with wildlife and humans in rural or urban environments and evidence that dogs can also be a potential source for human contaminations. A commercial enzyme-inked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit to detect anti- antibodies in sera of hunting dogs potentially naturally infected, was compared to the modified agglutination test (MAT), used as the reference method. The ELISA presented a sensitivity of 76.5% (CI 95%: 60.0-87.6) and a specificity of 87.7% (CI 95%: 76.7-93.9) and a substantial agreement with the MAT for the detection of canine anti- antibodies. Both tests can therefore be used widely for epidemiology studies on infections in dogs. With a mean seroprevalence of infection in hunting dogs from northern Algeria of 36.8% (CI 95%: 34.9-38.7), this study also highlights the importance of seroprevalence studies in companion animals to assess infectious risk for human populations.