Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease that affects a wide range of animals, including small ruminants. Sheep and goats are considered as biological indicators for the contamination of the environment with Toxoplasma gondii oocysts. In addition, in countries such as Egypt, where sheep and goat meat is frequently consumed, T. gondii infection in small ruminants may also pose a public health risk. To establish baseline estimates of the prevalence of T. gondii infection in Egyptian small ruminants, we used an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess the seroprevalence in 398 sheep from four Egyptian governorates (Cairo, Giza, Dakahlia and Sharkia) and in 100 goats from Dakahlia. The positive and negative agreements of both tests were calculated and the true prevalence was estimated using a Bayesian approach. The true prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii as determined by both tests was higher in Egyptian goats (62%) than in sheep for each province (between 4.1 and 26%). Sheep slaughtered at the Cairo abattoir had the lowest true prevalence (4.1%), while true prevalences in Dakahlia, Giza and Sharkia governorates (26%, 23% and 12%, respectively) were substantially higher. The high prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii may indicate an important role of goat and sheep in the transmission of human toxoplasmosis in Egypt, given the habit of eating undercooked grilled mutton.

Climate change can cause spatio-temporal shifts in the epidemiology of various vector borne pathogens, especially in vulnerable areas such as the Mediterranean Basin (MB). Among these pathogens, the West Nile virus (WNV) became endemic in the region. This systematic review and meta-analysis study summarizes WNV epidemiology, molecular characteristics, and surveillance in various MB countries, relying on data and scientific articles on WNV published during 2010–2023. The number of published articles varied across the three MB subregions: Southern Europe (n = 153), North Africa (n = 33), and Western Asia (n = 14). During this period, 5765 WNV cases in humans were documented across 19 MB countries with peaks during 2018–2022, mostly in Italy and Greece. The latter had neurological disease in 70.3% of 1868 cases, and a high case fatality rate (13.7%). Fewer WNV cases were reported in North Africa despite having the highest pooled human seroprevalence (15.4%), suggesting potential underdiagnosis and cryptic transmission. Overall, 6.5% out of 160,775 individuals had WNV-IgG antibodies in their sera, and WNV-neutralizing antibodies (NA) were detected in ∼50% of 731 IgG-seropositive individuals, indicating co-circulation of other flaviviruses in the MB. In horses, 698 confirmed cases were reported across 14 MB countries. Compared to humans, horses had a higher pooled IgG (26.0%) and NA (71.8%) prevalence, but a lower case fatality rate (6.1%). Wild birds, the key amplifying hosts, displayed a pooled IgG seroprevalence of 11.9%. WNV-RNA was detected in 4.5% of 3040 dead or neurologically diseased wild birds. Entomological surveillance revealed WNV-RNA in 2.5% of 52,159 mosquito pools tested, mostly Culex pipiens. WNV lineages 1 and 2 co-circulate, with Lineage 2 being dominant in Southern Europe. Surveillance capabilities vary across subregions, with robust integrated strategies in Southern Europe and limited efforts in North Africa and Western Asia. Since no vaccines are available for humans, integrated One Health approaches are crucial for effective surveillance and early warning.

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TTBPs) are listed among the most serious concerns harming Egyptian livestock’s productivity. Several reports on tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) from various geographical regions in the country were published. However, data on the molecular characterization of TBPs are the most beneficial for understanding the epidemiology of this important group of pathogens. In this study, we present the first meta-analysis on the molecular epidemiology and species diversity of TBPs infecting animals in Egypt. All published studies on TBPs were systematically collected from various databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, and Google Scholar). Data from eligible papers were extracted and subjected to various analyses. Seventy-eight studies were found to be eligible for inclusion. Furthermore, ticks infesting animals that were molecularly screened for their associated pathogens were also included in this study to display high species diversity and underline the high infection risk to animals. Theileria annulata was used as parasite model of TBPs to study the genetic diversity and transmission dynamics across different governorates of Egypt. This study extends cross-comparisons between all published molecular data on TBPs in Egypt and provides resources from Egyptian data in order to better understand parasite epidemiology, species diversity, and disease outcome as well as the development and implementation of prevention and control methods for public health, veterinary care practitioners, and animal owners all over the country.

Background: Several gastrointestinal parasites that infect cats pose potential health threats for humans and animals. The present study is the first to report gastrointestinal (GIT) parasites in feces of stray cats from Gharbia governorate, Egypt. Findings were combined with those published in the earlier surveys from various Egyptian governorates, and various meta-analyses were conducted to underline the parasitic zoonoses from cats in Egypt. Results: Out of 143 samples tested in Gharbia, 75 (52.4%) were found infected with 13 different parasites. Co-infections were observed in 49.3% of positives. Several parasites were detected, e.g., Toxocara cati (30.0%), Toxascaris leonina (22.4%), hookworms (8.4%), taeniids (4.2%), Strongyloides spp. (2.1%), Physaloptera spp. (2.1%), Alaria spp. (1.4%) and Dipylidium caninum (0.7%). Opisthorchis-like eggs were found in a single sample being the first report from cats in Africa. Oocysts of 4 coccidian parasites were identified, and a few Toxoplasma gondii-like oocysts were detected in 2 samples (1.4%). Results of the meta-analysis illustrated that occurrence of T. gondii oocysts in feces of cats from Egypt may have been overestimated in earlier studies; 1432 cats have been tested and displayed a 5 times higher pooled prevalence (11.9%) than the published global pooled prevalence for T. gondii oocysts in cats. This overestimation might have occurred because some small-sized oocysts that belong to other coccidian parasites were mis-identified as T. gondii. Toxocara cati had a high pooled prevalence (22.5%) in cats from Egypt, which is even greater than the published pooled prevalence in cats globally; however, several reports from Egypt have neglected the role of T. cati in human toxocarosis. Dipylidium caninum displayed also a high prevalence (26.7%). Conclusion: Several zoonotic parasite species have been found in stray cats from Egypt, raising concerns about the risks to the Egyptian human population as well as environmental contamination. Prompt surveillance supervised by the government and accompanied by data dissemination will be helpful for developing effective control strategies.

The predator–prey-transmitted cestodeTaenia hydatigenainfects a wide range of definitive and intermediate hosts all over the world. Domestic and sylvatic cycles of transmission are considered as well. The parasite has considerable economic importance, particularly in sheep. Here, the molecular characters ofT. hydatigenacysticerci in sheep from the Nile Delta, Egypt were investigated for the first time. For this purpose, 200 sheep carcasses and their offal were inspected at the municipal abattoir, Dakahlia governorate, Egypt. Cysticerci ofT. hydatigenawere collected and molecularly characterized employing the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Cysticerci were found in 42 (21%) sheep, mostly attached to the omenti, mesenteries and livers. After molecular confirmation, nine isolates were sequenced displaying six different haplotypes. Analysis of theT. hydatigena12S rRNA nucleotide sequences deposited in GenBank revealed 55 haplotypes out of 69 isolates, displaying high haplotype (0.797) and low nucleotide (0.00739) diversities. For the Tajima D neutrality index, a negative value (−2.702) was determined, indicating the population expansion of the parasite. Additionally, global data summarized in this study should be useful to set up effective control strategies against this ubiquitous parasite.