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Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, poses a significant threat to sheep flocks, affecting reproductive performance and meat quality, and leading to economic losses. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in the serum and colostrum of naturally infected ewes and to assess passive immunity in newborn lambs. Blood and colostrum samples were collected from 162 ewes and 182 lambs across 20 sheep farms in Paraíba, Brazil. Samples were tested for anti-T. gondii and anti-Neospora caninum IgG using indirect fluorescence antibody tests (IFATs), with titers ≥ 1:64 considered positive. Among the ewes, 45.1% tested positive for anti-T. gondii IgG in serum, with titers ranging from 1:64 to 1:16,384. The colostrum from 94.6% of the ewes also tested positive, although 74% had higher titers in their serum than in their colostrum. Concordance between serum and colostrum was high, with a kappa coefficient of 0.950. Lamb serum showed a perfect agreement with maternal colostrum (kappa = 0.962), demonstrating effective passive transfer of antibodies. This study confirms that colostrum is a reliable matrix for detecting anti-T. gondii antibodies and assessing passive immunity in lambs. The high concordance between serum, colostrum, and lamb titers suggests that IFATs on colostrum can be a practical tool for monitoring maternal antibody transfer, contributing to the better management of T. gondii infections in sheep flocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Human milk not only contains nutrients and antibodies, but also can be used as an indicator for levels of organic pollutants in human bodies. We developed a method for determining persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the colostrum of women in preterm labor, the POPs of 36 colostrum samples have been examined. Methods: Thirty-six samples of colostrum from preterm women were extracted by acetone–acetonitrile, enriched and purified by solid-phase Florisil columns. The purified POPs were further separated by the capillary columns, and detected by the gas chromatography–electron capture detection (GC–ECD). Results: The average recovery rates of 6 types of organochlorine-based pesticides were 80.2%–112.1%, which represent the first 3 categories of the 12 species of POPs. The precise quantities detected were 3.85%–9.32% (the limits of detection were 0.03 μg/l to 0.08 μg/l), and the linear correlation coefficients were ≥0.9969. Of the 36 women tested, 10 (27.8%) were found to have colostrums containing traces of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), and 2 (5.56%) were tested positive for dieldrin. Conclusions: The combination of using GC–ECD proved to be both accurate and reliable, and this process proved to be both simple and time-effective. This method is applicable for determining the levels of POPs in organisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]