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Kim KT, Seo MG. Molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in cattle in Korea. PARASITES, HOSTS AND DISEASES 2023; 61:210-215. [PMID: 37258269 DOI: 10.3347/phd.23016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a major public health concern, with raw or undercooked meat being the primary source of human infection. Knowledge regarding the molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in cattle destined for human consumption in Korea is lacking. The present study aimed to genetically characterize the infectious strains of T. gondii. Overall, 455 cattle blood samples from 84 farms in the Gyeongnam-do (Province) were randomly collected in 2017. Nested PCR analysis revealed that only 3 (0.7%) samples were infected with T. gondii. The B1 gene sequence of T. gondii was observed to be similar (97.3-99.6%) to that of other T. gondii isolates. This is the first study to perform the molecular detection of T. gondii in cattle in Korea. Although the prevalence of infection was low, our findings suggest that cattle present a potential public health issue. It may be crucial to recognize the importance of T. gondii infection in cattle meat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoo-Tae Kim
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
| | - Min-Goo Seo
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea
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Ji MJ, Cho HC, Park YJ, Jang DH, Park J, Choi KS. Molecular Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Blood Samples of Domestic Livestock in the Republic of Korea. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12040547. [PMID: 37111433 PMCID: PMC10143152 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12040547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii, a major zoonotic pathogen distributed worldwide, causes severe infections in humans, animals, and birds. However, limited information is available regarding T. gondii infection in livestock in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Herein, we determined the prevalence of T. gondii infection in livestock in the ROK and identified animal species that can potentially transmit T. gondii to humans. B1 gene-targeting nested polymerase chain reaction detected T. gondii DNA in 3.3% (2/61), 2.9% (3/105), 14.1% (11/78), and 15.4% (14/91) of dairy cattle, beef cattle, Boer goats, and Korean native goats, respectively. The prevalence of T. gondii was significantly higher (p = 0.002) in goats than in cattle. The risk of contracting T. gondii infection was significantly higher by 6.18-fold in Korean native goats (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.72–22.27%, p = 0.005) and by 5.58-fold in Boer goats (95% CI: 1.50–20.76%, p = 0.010) than in beef cattle. Our T. gondii DNA sequences exhibited 97.1–100% homology with those obtained from various hosts in other countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report T. gondii infection using the blood samples of domestic ruminants in the ROK. The results revealed that the prevalence of T. gondii infection is higher in goats than in cattle as determined by molecular detection. Thus, these findings suggest that T. gondii can be transmitted from ruminants to humans via meat consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Jeong Ji
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung-Chul Cho
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu-Jin Park
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Hun Jang
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinho Park
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung-Seong Choi
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, Sangju 37224, Republic of Korea
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Sun HC, Fu Y, Yuan XF, Li JX, Xu LH, Zhang JN, Yu B, Huang J, Qi M, Shi TY. Molecular Detection and Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii from Pigs for Human Consumption in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces, Eastern China. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2022; 19:686-692. [PMID: 36179062 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2022.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infections are common in humans and animals worldwide. Ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing tissue cysts of T. gondii is one major source of transmission of this parasite. It is important to guarantee the meat quality of China since our pork industry produces about half of the world's pork. In this study, a total of 746 pig samples were collected from Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces in eastern China, and examined for T. gondii infection by PCR amplification targeting B1 gene. In this study, we found that 57 of 746 (7.6%) pigs were positive for B1 gene, with 8.5% (48/562) in Zhejiang province and 4.9% (9/184) in Jiangsu province, respectively. The positive DNA samples were further genotyped at 11 genetic markers, including SAG1, 5'-and 3'-SAG2, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, PK1, c22-8, c29-2, and an apicoplast locus Apico through PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technology. Two genotypes (ToxoDB 9 and ToxoDB 10) of T. gondii were identified by PCR-RFLP in Zhejiang province. However, both genotypes were not determined from Jiangsu province, which is speculated on the low DNA concentration and the small number of samples. These results indicate that T. gondii infection is endemic in pigs in eastern China and may raise public food safety concerns, suggesting more interventions for T. gondii-related risks are needed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Chao Sun
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Fu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiu-Fang Yuan
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jun-Xing Li
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li-Hua Xu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia-Ning Zhang
- College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar, China
| | - Bin Yu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Huang
- Zhejiang Provincial Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Qi
- College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar, China
| | - Tuan-Yuan Shi
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou, China
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Maani S, Rezanezhad H, Solhjoo K, Kalantari M, Erfanian S. Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from human spontaneous aborted fetuses in Jahrom, southern Iran. Microb Pathog 2021; 161:105217. [PMID: 34601055 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular protozoan that infects the fetus through the placenta and leads to severe complications in the fetus. One of the complications of congenital toxoplasmosis is spontaneous abortion. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection was investigated among spontaneously aborted fetuses (SAFs), and the genotypes of parasite isolates were determined in the present study. Placentas from 330 samples of SAFs were collected in Jahrom (Fars province) from February to September 2018. DNA was extracted from each placental tissue. The T. gondii infection was detected using nested polymerase chain reaction (Nested-PCR) assay based on a 529 bp repeat element (RE) gene. Afterward, Toxoplasma was genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) based on the GRA6 gene. The frequency of T. gondii infection was found to be 14.5% (48 out of 330 samples). Genotyping of nine T. gondii isolates revealed that all belonged to genotype II. Statistically, the prevalence of T. gondii infection was significantly correlated with the education levels of the mothers and the age of the fetus (P < 0.05). The lowest prevalence of Toxoplasma infection belonged to mothers with university education and the highest frequency of infection was observed among the fetuses in the age group of 8-9 weeks. The findings of the present study suggest a significant role for toxoplasmosis in SAFs in Jahrom city.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salar Maani
- Department of Parasitology, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
| | - Hassan Rezanezhad
- Department of Parasitology, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran; Zoonoses Research Center, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
| | - Kavous Solhjoo
- Department of Parasitology, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran; Zoonoses Research Center, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
| | - Mohsen Kalantari
- Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Saiedeh Erfanian
- Research Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases, Department of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, School of Medicine, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
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