Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Trichinella spp. in Pigs from Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Pork production is a niche economy in Egypt, and pigs are typically raised as backyard animals with no sanitary control, potentially exposing them to various pathogens. Commercially available ELISAs were used to detect specific antibodies to the food-borne zoonotic parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., as well as to Neospora caninum, in serum samples of pigs slaughtered at Egypt’s only licensed pig abattoir, the El-Bassatin abattoir in Cairo. Among the tested sera (n = 332), seroreactivity for T. gondii was 45.8% (95% confidence interval: 40.4–51.3), N. caninum was 28.0% (95% CI: 23.3–33.2), and Trichinella spp. was 1.2% (95% CI: 0.4–3.3). Mixed infection was only detected for T. gondii and N. caninum (18.7%; 95% CI: 14.7–23.4). The seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly higher (p = 0.0003) in animals collected from southern Cairo (15 May city slum) than in eastern Cairo (Ezbet El Nakhl slum). Seroprevalence for N. caninum was higher in western (Manshiyat Naser slum; p = 0.0003) and southern Cairo (15 May city slum; p = 0.0003) than in that of eastern Cairo (Ezbet El Nakhl slum; p = 0.0003). Moreover, female pigs exhibited a higher rate of N. caninum antibodies than male ones (p < 0.0001). This study provides the first seroprevalence data for N. caninum in pigs in Egypt, and updates the prevalence of the zoonotic parasites Trichinella spp. and T. gondii.

Exposure to Brucella Species, Coxiella burnetii, and Trichinella Species in Recently Imported Camels from Sudan to Egypt: Possible Threats to Animal and Human Health

“…in camels worldwide. However, this level of seropositivity was similar to that obtained in our previous report conducted on sera from slaughtered pigs (1.2%) in a Cairo abattoir [ 35 ], but lower than that recorded in pigs previously (35.6%; Azab et al, 1988) [ 36 ]. Compared to human seroprevalence, our rate was also lower than the 10% obtained previously [ 39 ], and the 60.9% recorded in a trichinellosis outbreak [ 40 ].…”

“…Various reports have investigated Trichinella spp. in slaughtered pigs and reported infection rates from 0% to 6% [ 35 ]. Seroprevalence of Trichinella spp.…”

“…Seroprevalence of Trichinella spp. in pigs in Egypt was 35.6% using an immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) [ 36 ] and 1.2% using ELISA [ 35 ]. However, T. spiralis has also been identified in rodents [ 37 ] and in dogs [ 38 ] in different Egyptian regions.…”