Seroprevalence and Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Horses Slaughtered for Human Consumption in Italy

Papini, Roberto Amerigo; Buzzone, Gloria; Nardoni, Simona; Rocchigiani, Guido; Mancianti, Francesca

doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2015.06.012

Cited by 22 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Different diagnostic techniques, cut-off values, geographic locations, and management conditions may partially explain some of the differences in prevalence found in the literature (FINGER et al, 2013;VENTURI et al, 2017). In the present study, a IIF antibody titer cut-off value of 64 was considered an infection, which is consistent with previous studies (GENNARI et al, 2015;MOURA et al, 2016;PAPINI et al, 2015;VALENÇA et al, 2015). This value guarantees greater specificity, in addition to decreasing the possibility of cross-reactions with other etiological agents (ABREU, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…In the current study, 10.57% of the animals were seroreactive in IIF, similar to the results found by Moura et al (2016) in Santa Catarina (SC) and Valença et al (2015) in Alagoas (AL), with a prevalence of 10.40% and 14.30%, respectively. In the literature, there are also reports of higher prevalence in Minas Gerais (MG) (GENNARI et al, 2015) and Italy (PAPINI et al, 2015). However, work performed in Mato Grosso (MT) detected antibodies in only 2.5% of the equines surveyed (LASKOSKI et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis in equines in the northwest region of Paraná

Pacheco

Bondezan

Pereira

et al. 2019

SCA

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Leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis are diseases that may affect man and domestic and wild animals. They also have wide geographical distributions and thus cause large public health issues. The objective of the current study was to conduct leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis seroepidemiology in horses used for animal traction in small rural propertiesof the municipality of Umuarama, in northwest region of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 312 horses from 87 small farms. Microscopic agglutination tests (MAT) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) analysis were performed on sera to detect leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis, respectively. These were performed in conjunction with an epidemiological questionnaire. The MAT results included 180 (57.69%) samples that were considered reactive with titers between 100 and 12800 for one or more serovars. Thirty-three (10.57%) samples subjected to IIF were considered reactive, with titers ranging between 64 and 1024. From the analyzed variables, contact with wild animals (p= 0.012) and animal exchange between properties (p = 0.004) were associated with toxoplasma infection. The study revealed that horses in the northwestern region of Paraná were exposed to Leptospira spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, with an insignificant implication of the animals' clinical condition; however, since it is possible for animals to transmit infection to other animals as well as humans via the intermittent shedding of leptospires through urine into the environment, it may be considered a problem of one health. As for the presence of T. gondii antibodies, these horses played the role of sentinel of the infection. Environmental sanitation measures, serological studies of herds, control of rodents and felids on properties, and the dissemination of information about these diseases are relevant for disease control at the study site.A leptospirose e a toxoplasmose são enfermidades de ampla distribuição geográfica e podem acometer o homem, animais domésticos e selvagens que causam elevados problemas para a saúde pública. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar a soroepidemiologia da leptospirose e toxoplasmose em equinos utilizados como tração animal de pequenas propriedades rurais do município de Umuarama, região noroeste do estado do Paraná, Brasil. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue de 312 equinos de 87 pequenas propriedades rurais. Para detectar a leptospirose e toxoplasmose os soros foram submetidos às técnicas de soroaglutinação microscópica (SAM) e imunofluorescencia indireta (IFI) respectivamente associada ao preenchimento de um questionário epidemiológico. Na SAM, 180 (57,69%) amostras foram consideradas reagentes apresentando títulos entre 100 e 12800, para um ou mais sorovares. Na IFI, 33 (10,57%) amostras foram consideradas reagentes com títulos de 64 a 1024. Em relação às variáveis analisadas, o contato com animais selvagens (p= 0,012) e troca de animais entre propriedades (p= 0,004) foram associados à infecção toxoplásmica. O estudo revela que os equinos da região noroeste do Pa...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis in equines in the northwest region of Paraná

Pacheco

Bondezan

Pereira

et al. 2019

SCA

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“…in [29, 30]). Recent studies in Europe have shown seropositivity rates of 1.7% in Greece [31], 10.8% in Spain [32], 3% [33] and 17.6% in Italy [34], 23% in the Czech Republic [35], 37.8% in Romania [36], and from 13 to 90% (depending on the cut-off) in France [37]. It is difficult to assess whether the reported data represent real differences in the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection or possibly reflect the use of different assays, different cut-offs for modified agglutination assays or perhaps intrinsic differences in the study samples regarding age and/or true origin of the animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Europe, two strains have only recently been isolated from the hearts of seropositive slaughter horses in Romania (by mouse bioassay), but were not genotyped [36]. In Italy, Papini et al [34] have isolated three strains and genotyping by PCR-RFLP showed them to be of type I, II/III and III respectively. The isolation of two viable T. gondii strains from slaughter horses in Serbia described here is the first report in this country.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The first isolation and molecular characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from horses in Serbia

et al. 2017

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BackgroundConsumption of undercooked or insufficiently cured meat is a major risk factor for human infection with Toxoplasma gondii. Although horsemeat is typically consumed rare or undercooked, information on the risk of T. gondii from infected horse meat to humans is scarce. Here, we present the results of a study to determine the presence of T. gondii infection in slaughter horses in Serbia, and to attempt to isolate viable parasites.MethodsThe study included horses from all regions of Serbia slaughtered at two abattoirs between June 2013 and June 2015. Blood sera were tested for the presence of specific IgG T. gondii antibodies by the modified agglutination test (MAT), and samples of trypsin-digested heart tissue were bioassayed in mice. Cyst-positive mouse brain homogenates were subjected to DNA extraction and T. gondii strains were genotyped using 15 microsatellite markers (MS).ResultsA total of 105 slaughter horses were sampled. At the 1:6 cut-off 48.6% of the examined horses were seropositive, with the highest titre being 1:400. Viable parasites were isolated from two grade type mares; both parasite isolates (RS-Eq39 and RS-Eq40) were T. gondii type III, and both displayed an increased lethality for mice with successive passages. These are the first cases of isolation of T. gondii from horses in Serbia. When compared with a worldwide collection of 61 type III and type III-like strains, isolate RS-Eq39 showed a combination of MS lengths similar to a strain isolated from a duck in Iran, and isolate RS-Eq40 was identical in all markers to three strains isolated from a goat from Gabon, a sheep from France and a pig from Portugal. Interestingly, the source horses were one seronegative and one weakly seropositive.ConclusionsThe isolation of viable T. gondii parasites from slaughter horses points to horsemeat as a potential source of human infection, but the fact that viable parasites were isolated from horses with only a serological trace of T. gondii infection presents further evidence that serology may not be adequate to assess the risk of toxoplasmosis from horsemeat consumption. Presence of T. gondii type III in Serbia sheds more light into the potential origin of this archetypal lineage in Europe.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2104-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…and Sarcocystis spp. The detection of viable tissue cysts and DNA in tissue samples from infected cattle and horses indicates a potential threat to human and animal health from the consumption of undercooked beef or horse meat (Dubey and Desmonts, 1987;Dubey, 2010;Papini et al, 2015). Dubey et al (2005) described a large survey of beef, chicken and pork purchased from retail food stores in the USA, utilizing bioassay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and PCR analysis, to find viable T. gondii only in pooled pork samples.…”

Section: Large Animal Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii: history and diagnostic test development

Wyrosdick

Schaefer

2015

Anim. Health. Res. Rev.

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Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoa that causes toxoplasmosis in people and other animals. It is considered one of the most common parasitic infections in the world due to its impressive range of hosts, widespread environmental contamination and the diverse means by which animals can be infected. Despite its ubiquity and numerous ongoing research efforts into both its basic biology and clinical management, many aspects of diagnosis and management of this disease are poorly understood. The range of diagnostic options that is available for veterinary diagnostic investigators are notably more limited than those available to medical diagnosticians, making accurate interpretation of each test result critical. The current review joins other reviews on the parasite with a particular emphasis on the history and continued development of diagnostic tests that are useful for veterinary diagnostic investigations. An understanding of the strengths and shortcomings of current diagnostic techniques will assist veterinary and public health officials in formulating effective treatment and control strategies in diverse animal populations.

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Seroprevalence and Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Horses Slaughtered for Human Consumption in Italy

Cited by 22 publications

References 26 publications

Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis in equines in the northwest region of Paraná

Seroepidemiology of leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis in equines in the northwest region of Paraná

The first isolation and molecular characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from horses in Serbia

Toxoplasma gondii: history and diagnostic test development

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