Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Feline Toxoplasma Vaccine in Reducing the Exposure of Swine to Toxoplasma Gondii

The second study used a deterministic dynamic computer simulation model of the transmission of T. gondii in the swine farm ecosystem in a factorial experimental design to test the following hypotheses. T. gondii infection in finishing pigs decreases with (1) vaccination of susceptible cats, (2) increased cat capture rate (for vaccination), (3) decreased number of cats, (4) decreased T. gondii prevalence in cats, and (5) decreased oocyst survival time. Simulations were run for 10 years, with a weekly interval. Elimination of T. gondii in finishing pigs increased with a decrease in oocysts survival and a decrease in the number of cats in the farm. T. gondii prevalence in finishing pigs decreased with a decrease in the number of cats, a decrease in oocyst survival time, vaccinating and using an optimized vaccination schedule. Initial T. gondii prevalence in cats had no effect on outcome. Vaccination had less impact in decreasing T. gondii infection in finishing pigs than a decrease in the number of farm cats.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Veterinary Pathobiology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Mateus-Pinilla, Nohra Esperanza

Contributors dc:contributor

• Weigel, Ronald M.

• Agriculture, Animal Pathology

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9990077

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87646