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ORIGINAL ARTICLESeroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Stray and Household Cats in Guangzhou, ChinaH. Zhang1, D. H. Zhou1, P. Zhou1, Z. R. Lun2, X. G. Chen3, R. Q. Lin1, Z. G. Yuan1 and X. Q. Zhu11 Laboratory of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Street, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, People’s Republic of China2 Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510275, People’s Republic of China3 Department of Parasitology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, People’s Republic of ChinaRunning Head: Toxoplasma gondii infection in cats in Guangzhou, ChinaCorrespondence:X.Q. Zhu. College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Street, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510642, People’s Republic of China. Tel: +86 20 85283730; Fax: +86 20 85283730; E-mail: xingquanzh@ Impactsl This article shows new figures on the present situation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in stray and household cats in metropolitan Guangzhou, China.l The data presented provide the most comprehensive picture of the prevalence of T. gondii in stray and household cats in Guangzhou, which also indicates the zoonotic significance of the prevalence. l The data presented provide “base-line” information for assessing the effectiveness of future control strategies against T. gondii infection in cats in Guangzhou, China.Summary The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii specific IgG in stray and household cats in Guangzhou, China was determined by ELISA on serum samples from 206 cats (117 strays and 89 households), and the overall infection rate was 25.24%. The infection rate in stray cats (30.77%) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in household cats (17.98%). The rate of infection between male and female cats of both groups was not significantly different (p≥0.05), 28.13% versus 32.61% for male and female in stray cats, respectively, and 18% versus 17.95% in household cats. The present investigation demonstrated that the prevalence of T. gondii infection in cats in Guangzhou was high, especially in stray cats, which are probably the main source of T. gondii infection in this area. Integrated control strategies and measures should be implemented to prevent and control T. gondii infection in both stray and household cats, which will have significant implications for the control of human infection with T. gondii.Keywords: Cat; ELISA; Guangzhou; Seroepidemiology; Toxoplasma gondii; ToxoplasmosisIntroductionToxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoa parasite that can infect a variety of cell types from a wide range of mammals and birds throughout the world, including humans and nonhuman primates (Jacobs et al., 1998). T. gondii infection does not usually produce clinical symsptoms. However, the primary infection during pregnancy in women and animals may cause abortion, fetal abnormalities or prenatal death (Cook et al., 2000). More importantly, T. gondii infection is considered one of the main reasons of death for the AIDS patients and other immunocompromised patients (Montoya and Liesenfeld, 2004). Felids play a crucial role in the epidemiology of this parasitic disease, because they are the only definitive host, shedding and excreting millions of infective oocysts in a short period of time (Dubey, 1994) in their faeces. It is generally suggested that cats probably play a major role in transmitting T. gondii through environments contaminated by faeces. It is not convenient and may have difficulty in detecting T. gondii oocysts in faecal examination of cats. Therefore, serologic investigation of cats is important for determining the epidemiological significance of T. gondii infection.Antibodies to T. gondii have been reported in cats worldwide. There have also been some surveys of T. gondii infections in cats in some provinces of China in recent years (Lu et al. 1997; Yu et al., 2006; Yuan et al. 2004; unfortunately, these reports were published only in the Chinese language). However, the difference of T. gondii infection between stray and household cats and the infection rates between male ad female cats are not quite clear. In order to provide a foundation for the improved control of T. gondii infection in cats, the aim of the present investigation was to estimate the prevalence of T. gondii in stray and household cats in metropolitan Guangzhou, China.Material and methodsAnimals Biometric data for cats including age, sex and lifestyle were recorded. The information about household cats was taken from the owners and the information about stray cats was estimated based on body condition and by examining dentition.Blood sampling and serum prepar。