Prevalence and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in naturally infected backyard pigs intended for familial consumption in Romania

Paştiu, Anamaria Ioana; Cozma-Petruț, Anamaria; Mercier, Aurélien; Balea, Anamaria; Galal, Lokman; Mircean, Viorica; Pusta, Dana; Bogdan, L.; Györke, Adriana

doi:10.1186/s13071-019-3842-8

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…The genotyping results are entirely expected given the population structure of T. gondii in Serbia [ 39 ] and Europe [ 70 ]. The results are also consistent with other published studies; namely, in Romania, ToxoDB#1 was isolated from backyard pigs [ 55 ], while in Spain, ToxoDB#1 and ToxoDB#2 were isolated from free-ranging Iberian pigs [ 71 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…In comparison, the seroprevalence in fattened pigs reared and finished at intensive farms in Denmark, also determined by a commercial ELISA, was just 2%, while it was 19% in sows, yet it was 11% in organically reared finishers and a notable 60% in organically reared sows [ 19 ]. In Romania, the seroprevalence in backyard pigs slaughtered at family farms for the family’s own consumption was 46.8%, as assessed by IFAT [ 55 ]. While the prevalence values obtained by MAT/DAT, ELISA and IFAT cannot be directly compared, the samples were collected during the same time interval as those of Betić et al [ 6 ], which makes them relevant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Pork Industry in the Backyard: An Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Serbia’s Pigs

et al. 2023

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As pork is an important source for Toxoplasma gondii infection, we have analyzed T. gondii genotypes and toxoplasmosis prevalence in pigs in Serbia in the context of production statistics and economics to assess the specific risk to public health. Genotyping was performed using MnPCR-RFLP; T. gondii-specific IgG antibodies were detected using a modified agglutination test (MAT); and statistical data were extracted from official records and provided by government authorities. The results indicate that, from 2006 to 2021, the median number of annually slaughtered pigs was 5.6 million, yet only 36.1% were processed by abattoirs. The remainder were “backyard pigs” slaughtered on family farms and homesteads. Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in market-weight (MW) pigs prior to 2006 was 15.2%, and was 15.1% in 2019. The seroprevalence in owned city cats, likely infected by livestock meat, was 33.2%. ToxoDB#1 was identified in pig tissues. The results indicate that backyard pigs are the backbone of the industry and provide as much as 60% of the pork in Serbia. The seroprevalence in pigs and city cats shows that farms are reservoirs for the parasite. Thus, innovative means of reducing T. gondii infection designed with backyard farmers in mind are needed to reduce the risk to public health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Pork Industry in the Backyard: An Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Serbia’s Pigs

et al. 2023

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“…The presence of T. gondii is related to animal husbandry, where farming features seems to widely influence the prevalence. Indeed, extensive pig farming systems are more likely to be infected compared to intensive ones, which is mainly ascribed to environmental exposure [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Moreover, a study conducted in northern Italy described how the swine production category can influence the risk of acquiring the infection, where pigs farmed for reproduction compared to those for fattening showed a higher prevalence, mostly related to age at slaughter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii Investigation of Home-Reared Pigs through Real-Time PCR and Digital Droplet PCR: A Very Low Prevalence

et al. 2023

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Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread protozoon that can infect both animals and humans. The main route of human infection is the consumption of the raw or undercooked meat of several animal species, including pigs. Although T. gondii represents a public health concern, control during slaughter is not mandatory, leading to a lack of information on the impact on human contagion as well as poor data availability in domestic animals intended for human consumption. We studied the presence of T. gondii in home-reared pigs, an unconventional type of farming subjected to stringent breeding conditions dictated by Italian regulation. Thus, the diaphragms, livers and masseter muscles from 480 pigs in Napoli Province (Italy) were analyzed using real-time PCR and digital droplet PCR. The results showed four matrices that tested positive for T. gondii with very low protozoan loads (0.62%), belonging to three different animals. The low density of the animals (the maximum was four animals per farm) and the biosafety farming features decisively contributed to the bioexclusion of this pathogen. Comparing these results to intensive and extensive farm data, lower exposure to the parasite was revealed, suggesting that this farming method might mitigate the risk of human exposure through meat consumption.

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“…The diaphragm tissue samples from lambs identified as seropositive by MAT at a dilution ≥ 1:25 were bioassayed on pathogen-free Swiss mice. The protocol described in the study of Paştiu et al [ 18 ] was used. In brief, each diaphragm sample was minced and mixed (Knife Mill Grindomix GM 200, Retsch, Haan, Germany) with digestion solution (0.25% trypsin (93,613, Sigma-Aldrich, Saint Louis, MO, USA)/0.025% EDTA).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep from Romania

et al. 2023

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Background Toxoplasmosis is a widespread zoonosis caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Limited epidemiological information is available about the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep in Romania, and a high incidence would have implications for both the economy and public health. To our knowledge, no studies are available about the T. gondii strains circulating in lambs. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of T. gondii in sheep (serology), lambs (serology, bioassay, PCR) and sheep abortions (PCR) in Romania. Moreover, the study aimed to perform the genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from lambs. Methods Serum samples collected from 2650 sheep (2067 adults and 583 lambs) were tested for anti-T. gondii antibodies (IgG) using a commercial ELISA kit. Likewise, 328 pairs of diaphragmatic muscle-serum samples were collected from lambs aged between 2 and 4 months. Lamb serum samples were analyzed using MAT for anti-T. gondii antibody detection. The diaphragm tissue samples from MAT-positive lambs (at a dilution ≥ 1:25) were bioassayed in mice. The T. gondii strains were genotyped using 15 microsatellites markers. Additionally, brain and heart samples from 76 sheep abortions were analyzed for T. gondii DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 529-bp repeat region (REP529). Results The results showed that more than half of the tested sheep were T. gondii seropositive (53.5%). The seroprevalence was significantly higher in adults (61.1%) than in lambs (26.4%). The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in slaughtered lambs, by MAT, was 37.5% (123/328). There were bioassayed in mice 56 diaphragmatic tissues from 123 seropositive lambs. Toxoplasma gondii strains were isolated from 18 (32.1%) lambs intended for human consumption. All T. gondii strains were confirmed by PCR. Six strains were genotyped using 15 microsatellite markers and belonged to genotype II. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 11.8% (9/76) of sheep abortions. Conclusions The present study showed the presence of T. gondii in sheep in all the regions considered in the study. The high prevalence of T. gondii infection in sheep and lambs, demonstrated by serology, molecular analysis and bioassay, highlighted that there is an important risk of human infection in consuming raw or undercooked sheep/lamb meat. Graphical Abstract

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Prevalence and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in naturally infected backyard pigs intended for familial consumption in Romania

Cited by 14 publications

References 46 publications

A Pork Industry in the Backyard: An Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Serbia’s Pigs

A Pork Industry in the Backyard: An Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Serbia’s Pigs

Toxoplasma gondii Investigation of Home-Reared Pigs through Real-Time PCR and Digital Droplet PCR: A Very Low Prevalence

Toxoplasma gondii infection in sheep from Romania

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