en Other Other Original article Original article <p><strong><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO">Introduction</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO">:</span></strong><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO"> <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is one of the most important </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-GB mso-fareast-language: KO">foodborne </span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO">pathogens. <i>Toxoplasmosis</i> causes abortion and neonatal loss in livestock and imposes significant losses to farming industry. Prevalence of <i>T. gondii</i> in sheep and goats was investigated in three</span><span dir="rtl"></span><span dir="rtl"></span><b style="mso-ansi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-ascii-font-family: Garamond mso-hansi-font-family: Garamond mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO" dir="rtl"><span dir="rtl"></span><span dir="rtl"></span> </span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO">adjacent geographical areas within Gilan province in north of Iran. <b>Methods:</b> Serum samples were collected from 247 sheep and 155 goats in three counties Roudsar with humid subtropical climate and average annual precipitation (AAP) of 1400 mm, Masal with sub-humid climate and AAP of 700 mm, and Roudbar with cold semi-arid steppe climate and AAP of 400 mm. The samples were tested for <i>Toxoplasma </i>antibodies by using Sabin- Feldman Dye Test. <b>Results:</b> The overall prevalence in sheep was significantly higher than goats (<i>P</i><0.001). Moreover, the prevalence in sheep was greatly increased with AAP (<i>P</i><0.001) the prevalence in sheep was 62.2% in Roudsar, 39.3% in Masal and 15% in Roudbar. <b>Conclusion:</b> Sheep is the most common source of meat consumed in Iran, as well as many parts of the world, and presents the most danger in foodborne transmission of <i>T. gondii </i>to humans. Intensive farm management resulted in decreased prevalence of <i>Toxoplasma</i> in poultries and pigs while sheep are </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-GB mso-fareast-language: KO">raised </span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO">in small flocks in Iran, as many other developing countries, and extensively exposed to oocysts shed by cats. The information obtained here could have important implications for prevention of <i>T. gondii</i> infection in humans as well as reducing the rate of infection, and consequent abortion and neonatal loss in sheep and goats</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "Garamond",serif FONT-SIZE: 10pt mso-bidi-font-family: Arial mso-fareast-font-family: Batang mso-bidi-language: AR-SA mso-bidi-font-weight: bold mso-ansi-language: EN-US mso-fareast-language: KO">.<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><font face="Garamond" size="2"> </font></span></span></p> Climate, Iran, Prevalence, Sheep, Toxoplasma. 80 83 http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-37-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Yashar Havakhah No Department of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Ahmad Reza Esmaeili Rastaghi No Department of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, IranDepartment of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Samira Amiri No Department of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Jalal Babaie No Department of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Zohreh Aghighi No Department of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Majid Golkar Yes Department of Parasitology, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran