Pork as a source of transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to humans: a parasite burden study in pig tissues after infection with different strains of Toxoplasma gondii as a function of time and different parasite stages

Real-time PCR detection of Toxoplasma gondii in tissue samples of wild boars (Sus scrofa) from southern Italy reveals high prevalence and parasite load

“…The present study showed no significant differences among the three tissues examined when parasite load was considered. Our results contrast with those of previous studies on experimentally infected pigs [13, 19]. Juránková et al [19] found that the parasite load in the brain was significantly higher than in heart samples.…”

“…Concerning the distribution of T. gondii according to the tissues studied, the highest prevalence was found in the brain (31.2%), followed by the heart (28.3%) and masseter muscle (24.2%). These results are in agreement with previous studies identifying the brain followed by the heart as the most important tissue targets for T. gondii infection when pigs are infected experimentally with oocysts [5, 13, 18, 19]. The present study showed no significant differences among the three tissues examined when parasite load was considered.…”

“…The public perception that game meat is a sustainable, healthy and ecologically friendly product raises the potential for an increase in food-borne pathogen transmission associated with wildlife [8, 9]. A few studies have demonstrated the presence of T. gondii in different tissues of wild boars by PCR qualitative methods (positive/negative) [10–12], but no data exists on the quantification of parasite burden in its tissues which, in turn, may be a useful way to assess the infection risk for the consumer [13]. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the occurrence and parasite load of T. gondii in tissues of wild boars has been reported using a specific and sensitive real-time PCR assay.…”

Global Transcriptome Profiling of Multiple Porcine Organs Reveals Toxoplasma gondii-Induced Transcriptional Landscapes

“…Previous studies have provided beneficial but limited insights into the porcine response to T. gondii through using methods such as high-throughput sequencing to identify the mRNA and miRNA profiles (19–22), and microarrays (23). Recent research showed that T. gondii loads vary across different porcine tissues, with high parasite loads detected in the heart and lungs during acute infection, and in the heart and brain during chronic infection, regardless of the strain of the parasite (24). Therefore, genome-wide comprehensive analysis of the differential responses of pig tissues to T. gondii infection is required to elucidate why some porcine tissues vary greatly in their response to T. gondii infection.…”

Toxoplasma gondii in pork & pork products - too much on our plate?

“…Since it has been shown that predilection organs, such as the heart and brain, usually have significantly higher parasite burdens than muscle meat (Gisbert Algaba et al, 2018), direct data need to be gathered for each of the commercial meat cuts of interest. Commercial meat cuts of experimentally infected pigs have been examined by mouse bioassay in a Brazilian study; T. gondii was detected in muscles including the loin (musculus longissimus), coppa (m. longissimus, m. spinalis dorsi, m. rhomboideus), tenderloin (m. psoas major), outside flat (m. biceps femoris) and top sirloin (m. gluteus medius) (Alves et al, 2019).…”