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Toxoplasma Antibodies Found in 14 of 35 Wild Bird Species Sampled Around Lahore

Wild Brown Rock Chat perched on a rock in Madhya Pradesh, India
Research · Disease, parasites & microbiology

A 2026 study of wild birds in Lahore District, Pakistan, detected antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in 18 of 176 birds, representing 14 of the 35 species sampled. The researchers captured birds with mist nets, collected blood samples and released the birds after sampling.

Mist nets are fine mesh nets stretched between supports to temporarily capture flying birds so they can be handled, measured or sampled.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that causes toxoplasmosis and can infect many warm-blooded animals, including birds and humans. Wild birds can act as intermediate hosts and indicators of environmental circulation, so antibody surveys help show where birds have been exposed even when the detections do not demonstrate clinical disease.

Map of the study area in Lahore District
Study area in Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan. Figure 1 from Ali et al. (2026), CC BY 4.0.

Species with positive antibody tests included:

Species Scientific name Positive / tested birds
brown rock chat Oenanthe fusca 2 / 9
house crow Corvus splendens 3 / 15
common myna Acridotheres tristis 1 / 3
Indian silverbill Euodice malabarica 1 / 2
scaly-breasted munia Lonchura punctulata 1 / 5
red-wattled lapwing Vanellus indicus 1 / 2
lesser whitethroat Curruca curruca 2 / 7
Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto 1 / 4
Indian pied myna Gracupica contra 1 / 6
long-tailed shrike Lanius schach 1 / 6
western yellow wagtail Motacilla flava 1 / 7
baya weaver Ploceus philippinus 1 / 20
black drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 1 / 7
jungle babbler Argya striata 1 / 9

Overall seroprevalence was 10.2%

Across all sampled birds, 10.2% tested positive for T. gondii antibodies. Adults had the clearest demographic contrast, with 28.6% testing positive compared with 7.7% of juveniles. Males were positive more often than females (13.5% versus 6.9%), rural birds slightly more often than urban birds (11.3% versus 8.9%), and apparently sick birds more often than apparently healthy birds (16.7% versus 9.2%), but none of those three differences was clearly supported. The regression analysis additionally identified locality, taxonomic order and feeding behaviour as factors associated with seropositivity.

Small species samples limit interpretation

The authors note that the numbers sampled within individual species were small, so the species-level percentages should not be treated as precise prevalence estimates for those species or for wild birds across Pakistan. The antibody detections show previous exposure to T. gondii but do not in themselves establish clinical disease in the birds.

Sources and image credit

  1. Ali, S., Imran, F., Lilak, A. A., Latif, T., von Fricken, M. E., Tayyub, M., Saeed, U., & Iftikhar, A. (2026). Seroprevalence and Risk Analysis of Toxoplasma Gondii in Wild Birds of District Lahore Punjab, Pakistan. Veterinary Medicine and Science, 12(3), e70907. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.70907

Image: PurvyK / Wikimedia Commons — wild brown rock chat photographed in Madhya Pradesh, India, 2 March 2015; representative image of one of the species in which Toxoplasma gondii antibodies were detected in the Lahore study · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Disease, parasites & microbiology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Brown Rock Chat Oenanthe fusca Explore species Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Explore species House Crow Corvus splendens Explore species Jungle Babbler Argya striata Explore species Indian Pied Myna Gracupica contra Explore species Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Explore species Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca Explore species Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava Explore species Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Explore species Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Explore species Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Explore species Indian Silverbill Euodice malabarica Explore species

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