DETERMINATION OF THE PREVALANCE OF TOXOPLASMOSİS IN CATS WITH IMMUNOCHOROMATOGRAPHIC RAPID TESTS KITS IN KIRIKKALE UNIVERSITY VETERINARY FACULTY ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii that can cause disease in all warm-blooded animals. In the transmission cycle of the disease, cats serve as the primary/definitive hosts, and transmission occurs through direct and indirect oral ingestion of oocysts spread by the definitive hosts. To diagnose the disease, a variety of methods are employed, including fluorescent diagnostic techniques, indirect hemagglutination tests, modified agglutination tests, ELISA, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Sabin-Feldman dye tests, and immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test kits. In clinical settings, rapid diagnostic test kits are the preferred option due to their ease of access, cost-effectiveness, and rapid results. The objective of this study is to ascertain the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in cats in the Kirikkale region and to highlight the efficacy of rapid diagnostic kits in this regard. The study material consisted of 50 cats brought to the Kırıkkale University Veterinary Faculty Animal Hospital for diagnosis and treatment of various disease presentations. Toxoplasma was detected using rapid diagnostic kits. The diagnostic tests performed on the blood samples taken from the 50 cats for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment revealed that three of them were positive. The screening revealed a prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the sample population of 6%. It has been determined that cats can harbor this disease despite exhibiting symptoms compatible with toxoplasma. The use of rapid diagnostic kits for screening cats is a viable and practical solution. The study objective was to contribute to the development of control policies for cats in the context of public health and disease control policies. The results of this study will serve as a source of information for future studies.