Toxoplasma and other protozoan infections of economic importance in new zealand

Abstract

Of the protozoans infecting domesticated animals and humans in New Zealand, it is undoubtedly the apicomplexans that are most important. These include Toxoplasma, Sarcocystis, Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, and Neospora species. All have the potential to cause both clinical disease in animals and subclinical losses of production and, in some industries, they necessitate the use of costly preventive measures. Some are also potentially important to human health and others to the acceptability of meat products. There have been very few attempts to estimate the economic significance of infections with these parasites in this country and it is difficult to do so. In this paper, I review the biology and prevalence of these infections in New Zealand, attempt to estimate the significance of at least some of them, and discuss the problems associated with doing so. © 1994 Crown.