SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII AMONG COMMENSAL RODENTS FROM GIZA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular zoonotic parasite that infects a large spectrum of warm-blood animals, including humans. Congenital toxoplasmosis is a worldwide problem. Rodents are intermediate hosts and serve as food for felids, the definitive hosts. A serological survey for antibodies to T. gondii was ca-ried out among two species of commensal rodent species Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus, trapped from different localities within Abu-El- Nomros center, Giza Governorate. Of 125 rats, 5 (4.0%) had anti-Toxoplasma antibodies. Of 79 R. nor- vegicus 3 (3.8%), and 46 R. rattus 2 (4.3%). The results showed that mature and immature of males and females of both sp'ecies had anti-toxoplasmal. This result was not sta- tistically significant between two species of R. norvegicus and R. rattus and also between the two sexes of each species.