Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in free-range, organic pigs in Italy using serological and molecular methods

Bacci, C.; Vismarra, Alice; Mangia, Carlo; Bonardi, S.; Bruini, Ilaria; Genchi, Marco; Kramer, Laura; Brindani, F.

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2015.03.002

Cited by 60 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…(24,27) For these reasons, organic and locally produced products are considered at higher risk than conventional products. (37) However, with the exception of a limited survey that reported a very high prevalence (95%), (15) we do not possess enough seroprevalence data about outdoor pigs in Italy and as a consequence, further implementation of our simulation was not possible, which might have led to an underestimation of the overall number of T. gondii infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Besides, many serological surveys conducted in the recent years regarding T. gondii in different Italian pig farms (intensive and free range) reported high seropositive rates (ranges varied between 15.2% and 95.2%). (12)(13)(14)(15) For all these reasons, we hypothesize that the risk of acquiring T. gondii infection through the consumption of pork meat in Italy is relevant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risk Assessment of Human Toxoplasmosis Associated with the Consumption of Pork Meat in Italy

Condoleo

Rinaldi

Sette³

et al. 2017

Risk Analysis

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Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan disease and has a broad range of hosts, including humans and several wild and domestic animals. The human infection is mostly acquired through the consumption of contaminated food and pork meat has been recognized as one of the major sources of transmission. There are, however, certain fundamental differences between countries; therefore, the present study specifically aims to evaluate the exposure of the Italian population to Toxoplasma gondii through the ingestion of several types of pork meat products habitually consumed in Italy and to estimate the annual number of human infections within two subgroups of the population. A quantitative risk assessment model was built for this reason and was enriched with new elements in comparison to other similar risk assessments in order to enhance its accuracy. Sensitivity analysis and two alternative scenarios were implemented to identify the factors that have the highest impact on risk and to simulate different plausible conditions, respectively. The estimated overall average number of new infections per year among adults is 12,513 and 92 for pregnant women. The baseline model showed that almost all these infections are associated with the consumption of fresh meat cuts and preparations (mean risk of infection varied between 4.5 × 10 −5 and 5.5 × 10 −5 ) and only a small percentage is due to fermented sausages/salami. On the contrary, salt-cured meat products seem to pose minor risk but further investigations are needed to clarify still unclear aspects. Among all the considered variables, cooking temperature and bradyzoites' concentration in muscle impacted most the risk.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Assessment of Human Toxoplasmosis Associated with the Consumption of Pork Meat in Italy

Condoleo

Rinaldi

Sette³

et al. 2017

Risk Analysis

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“…One of the results of this project has been the publication of review papers that have provided really valuable information and reflections on the current status and challenges of the swine sector. [109,110] reported that sows are kept in a variety of different production systems, "with some countries having totally outdoor management at pasture, some keeping animals indoors with concrete outside runs, and others having combinations of these systems". Although reports suggest that relatively few health and welfare problems are seen, the problem of parasites is also a concern within this sector (they are more prevalent in the organic sector).…”

Section: Animal Health Welfare and Technical Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So that, again, the combination of welfare, health, and productivity poses an issue. Even, public health could be compromised, [110] highlighted the high exposure to T. gondii in organic pig farms in Italy, indicating a potential risk for meat consumption.…”

Section: Animal Health Welfare and Technical Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Livestock Farming — Challenges, Perspectives, and Strategies to Increase Its Contribution to the Agrifood System’s Sustainability — A Review

Escribano¹

2016

Organic Farming - A Promising Way of Food Production

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The livestock sector is of great importance for the sustainability of rural economies and many ecosystems; however, it also has a high environmental impact. Due to the growing demand for animal products, there is a need to design new livestock production systems that allow the combination of food security and sustainability. Within this context, organic livestock may be a useful strategy to achieve such a pivotal goal. However, there is a lack of studies that integrate the existing knowledge, specifically in organic livestock, and integrating the main aspects implied in its practice (its externalities and challenges). The present work aims to fill this knowledge gap, providing strategies and insights that will help stakeholders and policy makers to improve the sustainability of both the organic sector itself and that of the whole food system.

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“…Pigs and sheep are also commonly infected. Pigs are very susceptible to become experimentally infected and show high prevalence rates in some regions of the United States, as well in warm and tropical countries [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Prevalence rates of T. gondii in sheep are also widely distributed.…”

Section: Occurrence Of Toxoplasmosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii in Meat for Human Consumption – A Brief Review of the Most Described Strategies for Its Detection and Quantification

Paredes¹,

Ortega‐Pacheco²,

Rosado-Aguilar³

et al. 2016

Significance, Prevention and Control of Food Related Diseases

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Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease widely distributed worldwide and is caused by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The definitive host of T. gondii is the domestic cat and the entire cat family, in which the sexual stages of the parasite develop. T. gondii can also infect a wide range of intermediate hosts, affecting most warm-blooded animals including humans. In humans, toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic in healthy individuals, but can develop lymphadenopathy and nonspecific symptomatology or even be fatal in infants with congenital toxoplasmosis and in immunocompromised patients. Transmission to humans is mainly through food, especially by eating undercooked meat or meat contaminated with tissue cysts. This has led to various public health organizations worldwide monitoring programs on T. gondii in animals intended for human consumption, especially in meat samples. One of the techniques employed in the laboratory is that based on the polymerase chain reaction and some of its variants, which have proven to be valuable tools for the detection of T. gondii in tissues for human consumption and many other types of biological samples. The development of different strategies for the molecular detection of T. gondii has led to the identification and quantification methodologies varying widely among laboratories. Therefore, this chapter reviews the main methods of extraction, purification, detection and quantification of T. gondii DNA in tissue samples from different species destined for human consumption.

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Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in free-range, organic pigs in Italy using serological and molecular methods

Cited by 60 publications

References 19 publications

Risk Assessment of Human Toxoplasmosis Associated with the Consumption of Pork Meat in Italy

Risk Assessment of Human Toxoplasmosis Associated with the Consumption of Pork Meat in Italy

Organic Livestock Farming — Challenges, Perspectives, and Strategies to Increase Its Contribution to the Agrifood System’s Sustainability — A Review

Toxoplasma gondii in Meat for Human Consumption – A Brief Review of the Most Described Strategies for Its Detection and Quantification

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