Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in hunted wild boars (Sus scrofa) from southeastern France

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) is an obligate intracellular, parasitic protozoan within the phylum Apicomplexa that causes toxoplasmosis in mammalian hosts (including humans) and birds. Since meat of wild boar, Sus scrofa (Linnaeus), has been demonstrated to be a potential source of human infection, a careful evaluation of the prevalence of infection with T. gondii in hunted animals is needed to protect public health. In the Var area in southeastern France, we performed a spatio-temporal survey in order to investigate the prevalence of IgG antibodies in wild boars shot by hunters in the Canjuers military camp during two subsequent hunting seasons. Of 841 wild boars screened, antibodies (IgG) to T. gondii (modified agglutination test, cut-off 1 : 6) were found in 141 (16.8%) muscle extract samples. A significant association (p < 0.001) was found between positivity and age, but not gender, and hunting districts. The results obtained indicate that consumption of raw or undercooked meat from wild boars carries an important risk of infection with T. gondii. Wild boars may be considered as a bioindicator of parasite circulation in this ecosystem.

Prevalence of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> antibodies in wild boar (Sus scrofa) from Strzałowo Forest Division, Warmia and Mazury Region, Poland

“…Similar results were obtained in Spain (38.4%, MAT) [48], Italy (43.3%, ELISA) [32], Sweden (49.5%, ELISA) [49], and the Czech Republic (39.6%, ELISA) [9]. The percentage of seropositive wild boar was lower in several studies conducted in the Czech Republic (15.4% and 26.2%) [31,37], Spain (23.8%) [50] and Sweden (28.6%) [29], as well as in France (16.8% and 17.6%) [4,51], Switzerland (6.7%) [2], The Netherlands (24.4%) [39], Slovakia (8.1%) [3], Finland (33%) [52], Portugal (20.6%) [1], Denmark (27.7%) [53], Greece (5.2%) [25], Romania (16%) [54], Italy (14%) [55], Latvia (33.2%) [56] and Estonia (24%) [38].…”

“…Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important zoonoses caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii [1,2], a parasite of significant importance in medicine and veterinary medicine, widespread worldwide [3] and capable of infecting most species of warm-blooded animals, including humans [4]. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recognized toxoplasmosis as a parasitic zoonosis with the highest prevalence in humans [5].…”

“…Wild boar (Sus scrofa) are common throughout Europe and are the most popular game species, with the exception of the British Isles, Denmark, and a significant part of the Scandinavian Peninsula [4,23]. Its natural habitat are forests of various tree species composition that ensure an abundance of food and cover [23], and prefers swampy areas with access to water [24].…”

“…As wild boar seem to be an effective bioindicator of T. gondii circulation in the environment [4], and venison consumption gains in popularity, the study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii antibodies in wild boar in the Strzałowo Forest Division.…”

Investigations by the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection of food and food-borne infections in the Mediterranean Basin and in sub-Saharan Africa

“…Toxoplasma gondii –specific immunoglobulin G was found in the Var Department, Southeastern France, in 17% of muscle extract samples collected from 841 wild boars [26] . This indicates that consumption of raw or undercooked meat from wild boars is an important risk factor for infection with T. gondii.…”