No abstract

Background Toxoplasmosis as a zoonotic condition is developed by an intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii from the Apicomplexa phylum, which imposes economic losses on herds of animals and severe complications in immunocompromised people and pregnant women. This infectious disease can be transmitted to human beings from the contaminated unpasteurized milk, uncooked meat, water and food contaminated with sporulated oocysts and transplacental transmission. Objectives This study amid to determine T. gondii DNA in camel, buffalo and cow milks in using the PCR method based on the B1 gene. Methods A total of 100 milk samples, including 55 cows, 30 buffalos and 15 camels, were collected from different regions of north‐western using direct milking and then transferred to the Food and Aquatic Health Laboratory under refrigerated conditions. Results The results showed that out of 100 milk samples examined, 5 samples (5%) were contaminated, and T. gondii DNA was detected in the milk samples of 2 (3.63%) cows, 1 (3.33%) buffalos and 2 (13.33%) camels, respectively. Conclusions Our findings reveal that raw milk contaminated with T. gondii can be an important route of transmission of infection for human beings.

Toxoplasma gondii is a widely prevalent zoonotic protozoan parasite in humans and warm-blooded animals worldwide. Humans usually become infected through consuming water or food contaminated with oocysts or by ingesting tissue cysts in undercooked meat. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of T. gondii in the meat of buffaloes and cows slaughtered in Tabriz slaughterhouse, Iran using PCR. Fifty grams of heart, thigh, diaphragm and tongue of 50 buffalo and 100 cows slaughtered at the Tabriz industrial slaughterhouse were randomly sampled and tested using a previously published PCR method. Of the 150 animal samples, T. gondii was detected in 10 (6.6%) including one buffalo (2%) and nine cows (9%). The rate of infection was the same for buffalo and cattle (P > 0.05). Also, there was no significant relationship between the rate of infection and age, sex or organs assessed (P > 0.05). Although the rate of infection of animals slaughtered in Tabriz slaughterhouse is low, the presence of T. gondii still poses a risk to human health. Therefore, appropriate and effective preventive measures should be taken to limit the transmission of this parasite to humans and the consumption of raw and undercooked meat should be discouraged.

Background Fish is a great nutritious food and provides quality protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals. This contributes significantly to the economy and food security in Iran. However, there are safety concerns related to the presence of zoonotic parasites. Objectives The objective of this study is, therefore, to review fish‐borne zoonotic parasites in Iran. Methods Keywords such as fish‐borne, parasites, zoonotic, Iran, and some names of fish‐borne zoonotic parasites were searched in databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Elsevier, SID, Magiran, Irandoc, Google Scholar and the World Health Organization. Results The most common fish‐borne parasites with zoonotic potential identified in reports in the literature were the protozoa Balantidium spp., Myxobolus spp. and Sarcosystis sp.; the trematodes Heterophyes heterophyes and Clinostomum complanatum; the cestodes Ligula intestinalis and Diphyllobothrium latum; the nematodes Pseudoterranova sp., Anisakis spp., Contracaecum spp., Raphidascaris spp., Eustrongylides spp. and Capillaria sp.; and the acanthocephal Corynosoma spp. Conclusions The potential risk factors for the transmission of fish‐borne zoonotic parasites to humans are consumption of raw or undercooked infected fish, contact with contaminated water and contact with infected fish. There is a need for epidemiological surveillance of fish for parasites with zoonotic potential and of occurrence of infections in humans to better understand the public health significance and design prevention programs.