Nearly Half the Cats in One Kampala Study Have Been Exposed to Toxoplasma

RESEARCH ROUNDUP

A new study out of Makerere University found 45% seroprevalence in cats brought to Kampala clinics, and the biggest risk factors read like a checklist most vets already warn owners about.

Toxoplasma gondii is one of those parasites that shows up on exam room posters but rarely makes headlines, mostly because cats are usually the ones spreading it rather than suffering from it. A new study out of Makerere University in Uganda just put some real numbers behind how common that exposure actually is, and the results are worth a look no matter where you practice.

Researchers tested blood from 80 cats brought into six small animal clinics across Kampala District between July and September 2025. Using an ELISA antibody test and adjusting for the assay's sensitivity and specificity, they landed on a true seroprevalence of 45.2 percent. In plain terms, nearly half the cats walking through those clinic doors had been exposed to the parasite at some point.

Nearly half the cats tested had been exposed to Toxoplasma gondii at some point in their lives.

The Usual Suspects Showed Up Again

The risk factors the team identified will sound familiar to anyone who has ever counseled a client on cat care. After running the numbers through multivariable analysis, three factors stayed significantly linked to seropositivity. Cats fed raw food were about seven times more likely to test positive. Cats with outdoor access were roughly six times more likely. And adult or senior cats were nearly four times more likely than younger cats, likely reflecting a lifetime of accumulated exposure.

None of that will surprise anyone who has given the standard toxoplasmosis talk to a cat owner. Raw diets skip the step that kills tissue cysts. Outdoor cats hunt, and hunting means eating infected rodents and birds, plus contact with soil where other cats have shed oocysts. Age is just time, and time means more chances to encounter the parasite.

Housing and Household Setup Mattered Too

A few patterns emerged around how cats live rather than just what they eat. Cats in multi-cat households were more likely to have outdoor access in the first place, which the researchers suspect has more to do with owners struggling to manage litter boxes and indoor space for several cats than any behavioral preference from the cats themselves. Similarly, cats living in bungalows or huts with open compounds roamed more freely than cats in apartments, where physical layout naturally limits outdoor access.

Owner education level also tracked with seropositivity. Cats belonging to owners with only primary school or no formal education were more likely to test positive, which the study's authors tie back to awareness gaps around feeding practices rather than anything inherent to the household itself.

Why This Matters Beyond Kampala

This is the first study to actually measure T. gondii seroprevalence in cats in Uganda, despite the parasite's well-documented role in human and livestock disease across the region. Uganda has previously tracked exposure in goats, pigs, poultry, and people, but never in the definitive host itself. That's a meaningful gap to close, since cats are the only species that shed the environmentally resistant oocysts responsible for most soil and water contamination.

The number itself, 45.2 percent, sits below the 91.6 percent reported in a similar study in Ethiopia but well above a 7.8 percent figure from Kenya that relied on fecal testing rather than serology. That gap says less about actual exposure differences and more about how differently these two testing methods perform. Fecal testing only catches a cat during its narrow one to three week shedding window, while a blood antibody test picks up any past exposure, which is exactly why serology tends to paint a fuller picture.

The Takeaway for Practice

The study's authors are careful to note that seropositivity means prior exposure, not active shedding, since the test didn't distinguish between IgG and IgM antibodies. Still, the numbers make a solid case for keeping toxoplasmosis counseling in regular rotation, especially for clients with young cats coming from the street, households feeding raw diets, or free-roaming lifestyles.

The practical advice hasn't changed much: discourage raw or undercooked diets, encourage indoor living or supervised outdoor access, keep litter boxes clean and away from food prep areas, and talk openly with immunocompromised or pregnant clients about handling precautions. What this study adds is a clearer sense of just how common exposure already is in one African urban center, and a reminder that where good survey data doesn't exist yet, the actual numbers might be higher than anyone assumed.

Source: Hoareau, Z., Ashabahebwa, L., Bwambale, K. and Tayebwa, D.S. (2026). Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 16, 127-141. DOI: 10.4236/ojvm.2026.168010.