Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Seroprevalence and Environmental Determinants of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Armenian Livestock: an Expanded Nationwide Analysis

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors
Sargis Aghayan
Ruzanna Gevorgyan
Oleg Shcherbakov
Ahmad Daryani
Jon Mkrtchyan
Emil Adamyan
Tigran Abgaryan
Hasmik Gevorgyan
Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology
10.22059/ijvm.2026.414870.1006094
Abstract
Background: Livestock exposure to Toxoplasma gondii is important for animal health, food safety, and One Health surveillance, but data from Armenia remain limited outside previously studied northern provinces.
Objectives: This study expanded the Gevorgyan 2026 open database with additional Armenian livestock samples and environmental covariates to estimate seroprevalence and evaluate host, geographic, and environmental determinants of exposure.
Methods: We analyzed a sample-level dataset of 3,581 livestock records, classifying those that matched the Gevorgyan (2026) open database separately from the expanded and new data. Seroprevalence was summarized overall and by dataset source, host species, and province. Logistic regression in cattle and sheep assessed associations with dataset source, host species, year, elevation, annual precipitation, and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index).
Results: Overall, 740 samples were seropositive, giving a seroprevalence of 20.7% (95% CI: 19.4-22.0). The open-database component had 15.6% seroprevalence, whereas expanded/new data had 27.0%. Sheep showed higher seroprevalence than cattle (33.2% vs. 11.8%), and Syunik had the highest province-level prevalence (39.9%). In the selected environmental model, sheep remained strongly associated with seropositivity, the expanded/new data effect was no longer significant after adjustment, and elevation showed a non-linear association.
Conclusions: Expanded sampling substantially changed the apparent livestock exposure landscape in Armenia. Sheep and high-prevalence regions, particularly Syunik, should be prioritized for future surveillance and food-safety-oriented studies.
Keywords
Toxoplasma gondii
livestock
seroprevalence
Armenia
environmental epidemiology
Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 October 2026