Research into the possible link between cat litter disposal and infected marine life
September 4, 2007
Research being carried out by Dr Martin Powell, Senior Lecturer in Infection and Immunity at the University of Glamorgan featured in an article in the Guardian last week.
Martin is part of the Welsh Zoonoses Research Group (WZRG), a collaborative research initiative with public health, molecular ecology and wildlife conservation scientists which includes staff from Swansea University (Dr Dan Forman) and the National Public Health Service for Wales (Dr Edward Guy). The group is interested in parasite infections which can affect the health of wild animals and the potential for transmission of these infections between animals and humans.
The group is particularly interested in Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite that can affect all warm blooded animal and bird species. Studies have estimated that between 7–34% of people in the UK have been infected with T.gondii, however, the vast majority will show no symptoms and toxoplasmosis, the disease caused by T.gondii, is a relatively rare.
Preliminary research by the group has highlighted T.gondii infection in marine mammals from UK coastal waters, including dolphins, whales and porpoises. Research in California has already identified the disposal of cat faeces in the domestic sewage system as a potential source of infection in sea otters. Cat faeces can contain large numbers of a resilient, life-cycle stage of toxoplasma which, if ingested, can lead to infection.
The group aims to study the level of toxoplasma infection in both marine and terrestrial mammals in the UK in order to gain a better understanding of the parasites natural history. One aspect of this research is the potential link between the disposal of cat faeces and infection of marine mammals in UK coastal waters and how this information can be used to inform conservation measures for these animals
For more information on the research being carried out by the WZRG, please contact Dr Martin Powell by email at mbpowell@glam.ac.uk.
Tagged: biological sciences
