Auburn, Ala. (EETV) - A year-long study that took place in Kauai, Hawaii have brought up environmental and wildlife health concerns worldwide.
Kayleigh Chalkowski, a doctoral student at Auburn's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, led a research study with Chris Lepczyk, a professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, on the spread and impact of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, in Hawaii. Spread by feral cats, this parasite can infect other animals and even cause neurological symptoms in humans. Chalkowski's study in Kauai, Hawaii found that 40% of chickens were infected with this parasite, and that those same chickens were inhabiting places that were directly in contact with the public.
“Our findings of positive chickens at community centers and public beach parks suggest a public health risk, and our findings of positive chickens at wildlife refuges and coastal areas suggests exposure risk to endangered birds and marine mammals," says Chalkowski. Her field experience in Hawaii led Chalkowski to believe that public health policy change will be necessary not only in Hawaii, but around the world.
“Our hope is that in addition to guiding mitigation efforts, this study will also improve awareness of just how widespread and common this parasite is in public land-use areas.”
Chalkowski and her team hope this study will be a stepping stone to to garner more support for animal control measures, such as prohibiting feeding feral cats and an increase in trapping the feral cat population. She also says that stricter legislation on spaying, neutering, and abandoning cats should be put into place to help mitigate the spread of this parasite.
T. gondii can be spread anywhere cats are located, and this study in Hawaii is just the beginning of researching how it can impact the rest of the world.
“It is both fascinating and horrible, given how little we know about the health impacts of this parasite in many species,” Chalkowski said. “This parasite is a problem worldwide, there's a lot we still don't know, and efforts to control or understand this parasite in one region may very well be helpful somewhere else.”
