Frequency of antibodies and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in backyard pig production in the city of Mossoró, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis for pregnant women and immunosuppressed people. The pig population also becomes infected by this pathogen, and undercooked or raw meat is an important source of infection for humans. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the rate of exposure of pigs to T. gondii in the municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte and seek to identify associations with possible risk factors. Blood samples were collected from 412 pigs and were analyzed using the immunofluorescence assay. Among these 412 serum samples, 40.7% were seropositive for T. gondii. The IgG antibody titers were 64 (56 specimens), 128 (32), 256 (37), 512 (23), 1024 (14), 2048 (5) and 4046 (1). Seropositivity for T. gondii was found to be related (p-value < 0.05) to the following factors: female gender, semi-confined rearing system, use of well water, dewormed animals, presence of cats, goats, sheep, mice and vultures on the farm and carcasses left on the ground. In contrast, seropositivity was not related (p-value < 0.05) to the age of the pigs, type of facility or feeding with human food remains. Preventive measures need to be adopted on the farms studied here, with the aim of decreasing the animals’ intake of sporulated oocysts.

High level of infection by Toxoplasma gondii in pigs slaughtered in the city of São Luís, Maranhão

“…To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to report on the circulation of T. gondii in pigs in this area. These data are of public health relevance, because pigs act as reservoirs for this protozoan and consumption of pig meat under these conditions represents a risk to human health, as already shown in previous studies (Dubey, 2009;Vergara et al, 2018;Miura et al, 2019;Oliveira et al, 2018;Santos et al, 2019). In addition, investigations on occurrences of T. gondii in pigs form an important step within surveillance and control of foodborne toxoplasmosis.…”

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Occurrence of Toxoplasmosis in Animals Slaughtered in Brazilian Abattoirs

“…A total of 57 peer-reviewed published articles studying the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in animals slaughtered in Brazilian abattoirs were found ( Table S2 ) [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ,…”

“…These animals are more likely to acquire toxoplasmosis through ingesting contaminated food and water, and through access to small animals such as rodents [ 19 ]. Thus, prophylactic strategies such as avoiding rodents in piggeries [ 16 , 20 ], proper disposal of dead animals [ 16 , 22 ], indoor husbandry [ 22 , 31 ], avoidance of feeding with leftovers [ 19 ] or contaminated water [ 16 , 20 , 22 ], all commonly indicated risk factors ( Table 1 ), must be more implemented in Brazilian swine farms.…”