Toxoplasma found in Faroese sheep, study finds

A new scientific study has found antibodies to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in Faroese sheep, with older ewes most affected, Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) reported.

The infection was uncommon overall: 3.3 per cent of the sheep tested had antibodies. Almost no infection was found among lambs or rams, while 19 per cent of adult ewes were infected. The four ewes with antibodies were between seven and 11 years old, suggesting that the likelihood of infection increases with age.

Infected ewes were found in three different grazing areas. The researchers said this indicated that the parasite was not limited to one part of the country, but could be present in grazing areas throughout the Faroe Islands.

Risk to people

Toxoplasma gondii causes toxoplasmosis, a disease that can spread between animals and people. Cats are the parasite’s definitive host and release its immature eggs, known as oocysts, through their faeces.

Sheep can act as an intermediate host. Infection is known to cause ewes to miscarry or give birth to stillborn lambs. In people, infection usually causes no symptoms or only mild flu-like symptoms, but it can be dangerous for an unborn child, particularly if a woman is infected during pregnancy.

People can become infected through contaminated environments or by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been heat-treated or frozen. The researchers said this could be relevant to food safety in the Faroe Islands, where large amounts of skerpikjøt and dried meat are eaten without heat treatment, and called for further investigation.

Sheep, hares and cats tested

The study used blood samples from 122 sheep collected during the autumn slaughter in 2022. The sheep came from 14 different grazing areas across the Faroe Islands. The samples were analysed in a laboratory to determine whether the animals had developed antibodies to the parasite.

Researchers also tested about 500 hares from 50 grazing areas. Six of 496 hares, or about 1.2 per cent, had toxoplasmosis. The infected hares came from Viðoy, Streymoy, Vágar and Nólsoy.

People should wear gloves when skinning a hare and wash their hands thoroughly afterwards, said researcher Eyðfinn Magnussen.

The researchers tested 73 cats from 20 villages and towns. Fourteen, or about 19 per cent, were infected. The rate was 8 per cent among domestic cats and 70 per cent among outdoor cats.

The study was conducted by Eyðfinn Magnussen and Sunnvør í Kongsstovu from the University of the Faroe Islands, veterinarian Bergur Hanusson and Pikka Jokelainen from the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen.