Ocular Toxoplasmosis after Exposure to Wild Game

Conrady, Christopher D.; Besirli, Cagri G.; Baumal, Caroline R.; Kovach, Jaclyn L.; Etzel, Justin; Tsui, Jonathan C.; Elner, Susan G.; Johnson, Mark W.

doi:10.1080/09273948.2020.1854316

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…It is worth noting that wildlife T. gondii strains can cause clinical toxoplasmosis in humans. Recently, seven adult (54-71 years old) patients in the USA developed ocular toxoplasmosis after eating rare deer meat or dressing hunted deer; they had experienced headaches and fever before development of ocular symptoms [60].…”

Section: Meat-borne Outbreaksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans: five decades of personal experience, perspectives and lessons learned

Dubey

2021

Parasites Vectors

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Background The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has a worldwide distribution and a very wide host range, infecting most warm-blooded hosts. Approximately 30% of humanity is infected with T. gondii, but clinical toxoplasmosis is relatively infrequent. Toxoplasmosis has a wide range of clinical symptoms involving almost all organ systems. In most persons that acquire infection postnatally, symptoms (when present) are mild and mimic other diseases such as flu, Lyme disease, Q fever, hematological alterations, or mumps. It is likely that clinical disease is more common than reported. The ingestion of infected meat or food and water contaminated with oocysts are the two main modes of postnatal transmission of Toxoplasma gondii. The infective dose and the incubation period of T. gondii infection are unknown because there are no human volunteer experiments. Methods Here, I have critically reviewed outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans for the past 55 years, 1966–2020. Information from oocyst-acquired versus meat-acquired infections was assessed separately. Results Most outbreaks were from Brazil. There were no apparent differences in types or severity of symptoms in meat- versus oocyst-acquired infections. Fever, cervical lymphadenopathy, myalgia, and fatigue were the most important symptoms, and these symptoms were not age-dependent. The incubation period was 7–30 days. A genetic predisposition to cause eye disease is suspected in the parasites responsible for three outbreaks (in Brazil, Canada, and India). Only a few T. gondii tissue cysts might suffice to cause infection, as indicated by outbreaks affecting some (but not all) individuals sharing a meal of infected meat. Conclusions Whether the high frequency of outbreaks of toxoplasmosis in humans in Brazil is related to environmental contamination, poor hygiene, socioeconomic conditions, or to genotypes of T. gondii needs investigation. Graphic Abstract

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Section: Meat-borne Outbreaksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans: five decades of personal experience, perspectives and lessons learned

Dubey

2021

Parasites Vectors

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“…The diagnosis of primary rather than reactivation is supported by the unilateral necrotizing retinitis in the absence of any adjacent pigmented chorioretinal scar, anti-toxoplasma serologies, chronology of symptom onset after high-risk exposure, and rapid resolution with appropriate therapy. There are a growing number of case reports regarding T. gondii infection related to venison consumption, 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 but the chronology of primary infection related to venison consumption has not been well established due to small sample size. This case series further demonstrates a clear chronology of systemic symptoms developing within a few weeks of exposure, and ocular symptoms beginning 1–3 months after exposure ( Table 1 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 1 Reports of transmission by ingestion of undercooked venison are limited, but there is growing evidence to suggest a relationship. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 The white-tailed deer (WTD) is considered a major wildlife reservoir for T. gondii , and seropositivity increases with the age of the deer. 11 The seroprevalence of T. gondii in WTD varies in the United States, with reports of 22.5%–32.2% in Minnesota, 53.5% and 74.4% in the neighboring states of Iowa and Ohio, respectfully.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primary ocular toxoplasmosis secondary to venison consumption

Kohler

Mammo

Bennett

et al. 2023

American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports

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“…Indeed, epidemiological studies and several outbreaks have identified consumption of raw or undercooked game as a potential source of acute toxoplasmosis [107,[112][113][114][115][116] even in pregnant women [109,114]. Additionally, also handling of game carcasses was shown to be a possible source of acquired ocular toxoplasmosis in previously healthy hunters [115,117]. Accordingly, a high risk of T. gondii infection in hunters has been reported in a study in Slovakia [118], and this parasite was ranked as a high priority for meat inspection in farmed deer and farmed wild boar [40].…”

Section: Public Health Aspectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Education on such pathogens should also be addressed to physicians and, specifically for T. gondii, ophthalmologists [117,177]. In fact, in a large outbreak of trichinellosis involving several patients in France and Serbia, where the contaminated wild boar meat originated from, diagnosis was delayed in part because the parasitosis was not known by most physicians, which resulted in complications in the French cases, such as facial paralysis and pulmonary embolism.…”

Section: Medical Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Alaria alata, Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. in Mammalian Game Meat Consumed in Europe: Epidemiology, Risk Management and Future Directions

Guardone

Armani

Mancianti

et al. 2022

Animals

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Game meat is increasingly appreciated and consumed in Europe, also due to the growing population of wild ungulates. In addition to interesting nutritional properties and market opportunities, game meat is characterized by some specific public health issues. This review focuses on the etiology, epidemiology, public health aspects and risk management along the supply chain, including parasite detection at slaughtering and inactivation in meat, of three selected foodborne parasitic hazards (Alaria alata, Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp.) in the main mammalian game meat species in the EU: wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer (Dama dama), Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), moose (Alces alces), hare (Lepus europaeus) and wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The presented data point out the main issues, and knowledge gaps as well as the potential for improved control in order to contribute to the risk analysis process. To pursue an effective management of these parasitic zoonoses, awareness raising should involve all figures in the supply chain, including hunters, restaurateurs and consumers. Human behaviour and the lack of knowledge regarding meat borne parasitic zoonoses and the health risks they pose seem to be the most important factors responsible for human infections. However, detection methods, starting from the sampling procedure, should be further developed and standardized in order to improve the collection of accurate and up-to-date epidemiological data.

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Ocular Toxoplasmosis after Exposure to Wild Game

Cited by 15 publications

References 27 publications

Outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans: five decades of personal experience, perspectives and lessons learned

Outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans: five decades of personal experience, perspectives and lessons learned

Primary ocular toxoplasmosis secondary to venison consumption

A Review on Alaria alata, Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis spp. in Mammalian Game Meat Consumed in Europe: Epidemiology, Risk Management and Future Directions

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