{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T11:14:04Z","timestamp":1785150844882,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,7]],"date-time":"2026-02-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770422400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Toxoplasmosis is a globally prevalent protozoan parasitic disease of livestock, among others, with significant zoonotic potential. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum samples from water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Sohag governorate, Upper Egypt. In addition, several factors related to animals, management, and environment were analyzed to identify the risk factors for T. gondii infection. A cross-sectional epidemiological approach was employed, with samples collected from various locations across the region and tested using a commercially available indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Animal and environmental factors were evaluated to identify potential risk factors for the disease. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii among the tested buffaloes was 7% (24\/342). Seasonal variations were observed, with the highest seropositivity recorded in spring (10.7%; 11\/103), followed by autumn (8%; 2\/25), summer (5.6%; 7\/125), and winter (2.2%; 2\/89). High seropositivity was detected in aborted females, at 19% (4\/21), and in repeated breeders, at 10.5% (4\/38), in relation to buffaloes showing anestrus (no positive cases), although the differences were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest that T. gondii is endemic in Sohag, with water buffaloes serving as sentinel animals for the disease. The spring season appears to be a risk factor for infection. Further studies are needed to assess the potential risk to humans, particularly regarding the consumption of raw or undercooked buffalo meat infected with T. gondii.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13020166","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]],"date-time":"2026-02-09T08:15:54Z","timestamp":1770624954000},"page":"166","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from Sohag, Egypt"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Alsagher O.","family":"Ali","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Qena University, Qena 83523, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wael","family":"Qossa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary Medicine Directorate, Sohag 82749, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7003-448X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatma A.","family":"Khalifa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Qena University, Qena 83523, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6478-7493","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Caroline F.","family":"Frey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, L\u00e4nggassstrasse 122, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1845-1312","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ragab M.","family":"Fereig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Qena University, Qena 83523, Egypt"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"FAO (2017). Befs Assessment for Egypt: Sustainable Bioenergy Options from Crop and Livestock Residues, Food and Agriculture Organization. Available online: https:\/\/openknowledge.fao.org\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/1de76462-e838-43ed-bc57-75d33fb32ba2\/content."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Dubey, J.P. (2010). Toxoplasmosis of Animals and Humans, CRC Press. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109296","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetpar.2020.109296","article-title":"Recent epidemiologic and clinical importance of Toxoplasma gondii infections in marine mammals: 2009\u20132020","volume":"288","author":"Dubey","year":"2020","journal-title":"Vet. 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