INDUCED TOXOPLASMOSIS IN OWLS

Abstract

Seven owls (one great homed owl (Bubo virginianus), three barred owls (Strix varia), three screech owls (Asio otus)) were each fed tissues of rats containing tissue cysts of the GT- 1 and CT- 1 strains of Toxoplasma gondii. Serum antibodies to T. gondii were measured by the agglutination test. The owls were necropsied between 40 and 76 days after T. gondii ingestion, and brain, heart, and muscles from the breast and hind limbs were bioassayed in mice for T. gondii parasites. None of the owls developed clinical signs. Toxoplasma gondii was isolated from tissues of all owls, and