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

Abstract

A serological, molecular and histopathological study was carried out in order to investigate occurrences of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs slaughtered with and without inspection service. Serum samples were collected from 60 pigs to detect anti-T. gondii antibody by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFAT). Tongue, masseter and diaphragm fragments were also collected for parasite DNA detection by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathological analysis. The serological results showed that 77% (44/60) of the pigs were positive. Regarding PCR, 66.67% (40/60) were positive for T. gondii. Among the tissues evaluated, the diaphragm was the one with the highest frequency of positivity (40%; 24/60), followed by the masseter (38.33%; 23/60) and tongue (33.3%; 20/60). Histopathological changes were only observed in the diaphragm, which presented inflammatory infiltrates of lymphohistiocytic and neutrophilic types. These results not only show the potential threat of T. gondii to human health, but also demonstrate the dynamic epidemiological situation of toxoplasmosis in pigs in the city of São Luís, providing support for food security regarding pigs and for T. gondii control programs in Brazil.

Toxoplasma gondii infection in pig intended for human consumption in Brazil: seroprevalence, risk factors and influence of Biosecurity Measures

“…To our knowledge, this is the rst report on the prevalence of T. gondii in swine in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. These data are of public health relevance, because consumption of undercooked or raw meat of farm animals is a known major risk factor for T. gondii infection in humans; further, among food obtained from livestock species, pork is considered one of the main sources of infection, as reported in other studies [17,25,29,30] Regarding the biosecurity practices of the properties, the majority were classi ed as highly vulnerable in this study. However, the result was not statistically signi cant (p > 0,05).…”

Toxoplasma gondii infection in pig intended for human consumption: seroprevalence, risk factors and influence of biosecurity measures

“…To our knowledge, this is the first report on the prevalence of T. gondii in swine in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. These data are of public health relevance, because consumption of undercooked or raw meat of farm animals is a known major risk factor for T. gondii infection in humans; further, among food obtained from livestock species, pork is considered one of the main sources of infection, as reported in other studies (Dubey et al, 2020;Feitosa et al, 2017;Millar et al, 2008;Silva et al, 2021).…”

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 ,…”

“…The presence of T. gondii in meat sold in Brazil for human consumption has been frequently reported [ 7 , 8 ]. Indeed, several studies have been conducted into the occurrence of toxoplasma in animals slaughtered for human consumption in different regions in Brazil, a key meat producer and exporter country [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. To enhance the current understanding of the local situation across the different regions in Brazil, a good overview using meta-analyses of all existing data is required.…”