Abstract: Objective     To understand the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pet cats and dogs in Wuhu City, Anhui Province for evidence to formulate scientific measures against this infection. Methods     136 blood samples of pet cats and 217 blood samples of pet dogs were collected, and detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Toxoplasma gondii(T. gondii) IgG antibody. Results     Positive rate of T. gondii IgG antibody in pet cats and dogs was 10.3% and 14.7%, respectively. The positive rate of toxoplasma IgG antibody was 11.1% and 8.7%, respectively for male and female cats, without significant difference in different genders(χ²=0.346, P>0.05). The difference of positive rate of serum antibody was significant in pet cats of different ages(χ²=7.674, P<0.05), with the highest in cats aged >3~5 years(50.0%). The positive rate of T. gondii IgG antibody was 17.8% and 7.7%, respectively in male and female dogs, and the difference was significant between genders (χ²=4.280, P<0.05). The highest positive rate of serum antibody was seen in pet dogs aged >3~5 years(50.0%), and the difference was statistically significant with other age group(χ²=12.607, P＜0.05). Conclusion     Toxoplasmosis appears prevalent in the pet cats and dogs in the urban area in Wuhu. The findings suggest that domestic cats and dogs should be fed in scientific manner in order to reduce the risks of transmission of toxoplasmosis from pets to humans.

Key words: Cats, Dogs, Toxoplasma gondii, Wuhu City