Visual diagnosis of Taenia saginata cysticercosis during meat inspection: is it unequivocal?

Abstract

A total of 267 cysts were collected from March to December 2004 from two main abattoirs in northern Germany. The cysts were classified by the usual organoleptic methods during meat inspection as Cysticercus bovis. The reported prevalence of cysticercosis in the abattoirs was 0.48 and 1.08%, respectively. The cysts were examined macroscopically for description of their morphology and constituents and classified as viable or degenerating (dead). The DNA was extracted from these cysts and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for evaluation of the detection methods used and to make certain that the cysts did indeed belong to C. bovis, as indicated at the slaughterhouses. Two sets of primers were used with different sensitivity levels. The first, HDP1, was able to detect 200 fg of Taenia saginata DNA and 100 pg of C. bovis DNA. The other primer set, HDP2, was able to detect 1 pg of T. saginata DNA and 1 ng of C. bovis DNA. No more than 52.4% of the samples tested positive for C. bovis in the PCR using both primers, while 20% of the viable cysts and 49.2% of the degenerating cysts tested negative with both primers.

Risk factors for Taenia saginata cysticercus infection in cattle in the United Kingdom: A farm-level case-control study and assessment of the role of movement history, age and sex

“…These results are indicative of a very low true prevalence of infection that would range between 0.043% and 0.086% for sensitivity values between 15% and 30% and 100% specificity. These values appear to be reasonable based on published literature (Abuseir et al, 2006;Dorny and Praet, 2007;Dorny et al, 2010;Allepuz, 2012).…”

Applicability of ELISA with different antigens to diagnose varying levels bovine cysticercosis

“…Thomaz-Soccol et al (2010) obtained a better antigenic sensitivity (83.6%) for animals (bovines) naturally cysticercosis positive than that observed in this study. However, the sensitivity rates of both studies were higher than the sensitivity rates of post mortem inspections reported in previous studies (ABUSEIR et al, 2006;CALVO-ARTAVIA et al, 2012;EICHENBERGER et al, 2011;SCANDRETT et al, 2009).…”

“…Post-mortem inspection, which is the major control measure for bovine cysticercosis, does not adequately detect mildly infected carcasses, and has a sensitivity of 10-50% (ABUSEIR et al, 2006;CALVO-ARTAVIA et al, 2012;EICHENBERGER et al, 2011;SCANDRETT et al, 2009). Therefore, the control of taeniasis in humans may be hampered by the low sensitivity of the meat inspection protocols, requiring the development and application of more efficient testing methods (DORNY; PRAET, 2007).…”

Prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites in stray dogs in the northwest area of Mexico

“…in carcasses during post-mortem inspection is difficult to achieve, suggesting that an undetermined number of carcasses pass the screening as being free of parasites and the meat is distributed and consumed in both domestic and international wholesale markets, thus increasing the risk of zoonotic transmission of Taenia spp through infected meat. The low level of sensitivity inherent to the sanitary post-mortem examination (Abuiser et al 2006), along with the lower rates of detection and official reporting of this type of parasite at local slaughterhouses and TIF abattoirs, generate an area of opportunity for the introduction and instrumentation of preventive medicine strategies in dogs and cattle that allows to reduce the risk of transmission to the human.…”