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Sini MF, Manconi M, Varcasia A, Massei G, Sandu R, Mehmood N, Ahmed F, Carta C, Cantacessi C, Scarano C, Scala A, Tamponi C. Seroepidemiological and biomolecular survey on Toxoplasma gondii in Sardinian wild boar ( Sus scrofa). Food Waterborne Parasitol 2024; 34:e00222. [PMID: 38323095 PMCID: PMC10844814 DOI: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2024.e00222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite able of infecting all warm-blooded animals. Toxoplasmosis is one of the major foodborne diseases globally. The consumption of wild boar (Sus scrofa) meat from recreational hunting has been linked to outbreaks of human toxoplasmosis. The island of Sardinia (Italy) contains a large wild boar population, thus providing an opportunity to assess the distribution of Toxoplasma in this species and the associated risks of transmission to humans. A total of 562 wild boars were screened: heart and meat juice samples were tested for T. gondii DNA via nested-PCR and IgG anti-Toxoplasma by commercial ELISA. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG were detected in 24.6% (138/562) of animals, while 37.2% (209/562) of the heart samples were PCR positive. The prevalence of T. gondii antibodies and DNA highlights the potential role of wild boar as an important reservoir for this parasite. The study suggests that wild boar could play a significant role in spreading the parasite to humans. As wild boar numbers are increasing throughout their range, their potential role in transmitting toxoplasmosis should be communicated to stakeholders, and the impact of different population control methods on disease transmission should be thoroughly assessed to mitigate potential threats effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Manconi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Varcasia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Massei
- Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control Europe, Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, 290 Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, United Kingdom
| | - Ramona Sandu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Naunain Mehmood
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- Department of Zoology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
| | - Fahad Ahmed
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Carlo Carta
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Cinzia Cantacessi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Scarano
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Scala
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Claudia Tamponi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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Dámek F, Fremaux B, Aubert D, Thoumire S, Delsart M, Martin JL, Vuillermet S, Opsteegh M, Jokelainen P, Le Roux D, Boireau P, Villena I, Blaga R. Inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii in dry sausage and processed pork, and quantification of the pathogen in pig tissues prior to production. Food Waterborne Parasitol 2023; 31:e00194. [PMID: 37250657 PMCID: PMC10209801 DOI: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2023.e00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic foodborne parasite. Meat of infected animals appears to be a major source of infection in Europe. Pork is the most consumed meat in France, with dry sausages well represented. The risk of transmission via consumption of processed pork products is largely unknown, mainly since processing will affect viability but may not entirely inactivate all T. gondii parasites. We investigated the presence and concentration of T. gondii DNA in the shoulder, breast, ham, and heart of pigs orally inoculated with 1000 oocysts (n = 3) or tissue cysts (n = 3) and naturally infected pigs (n = 2), by means of magnetic capture qPCR (MC-qPCR). Muscle tissues of experimentally infected pigs were further used to evaluate the impact of manufacturing processes of dry sausages, including different concentrations of nitrates (0, 60, 120, 200 ppm), nitrites (0, 60, 120 ppm), and NaCl (0, 20, 26 g/kg), ripening (2 days at 16-24 °C) and drying (up to 30 days at 13 °C), by a combination of mouse bioassay, qPCR and MC-qPCR. DNA of T. gondii was detected in all eight pigs, including in 41.7% (10/24) of muscle samples (shoulder, breast and ham) and 87.5% (7/8) of hearts by MC-qPCR. The number of parasites per gram of tissue was estimated to be the lowest in the hams (arithmetic mean (M) = 1, standard deviation (SD) = 2) and the highest in the hearts (M = 147, SD = 233). However, the T. gondii burden estimates varied on the individual animal level, the tissue tested and the parasitic stage used for the experimental infection (oocysts or tissue cysts). Of dry sausages and processed pork, 94.4% (51/54) were positive for T. gondii by MC-qPCR or qPCR, with the mean T. gondii burden estimate equivalent to 31 parasites per gram (SD = 93). Only the untreated processed pork sample collected on the day of production was positive by mouse bioassay. The results suggest an uneven distribution of T. gondii in the tissues examined, and possibly an absence or a concentration below the detection limit in some of them. Moreover, the processing of dry sausages and processed pork with NaCl, nitrates, and nitrites has an impact on the viability of T. gondii from the first day of production. Results are valuable input for future risk assessments aiming to estimate the relative contribution of different sources of T. gondii human infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Dámek
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Bastien Fremaux
- IFIP - Institut du Porc, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Dominique Aubert
- National Reference Centre on Toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma Biological Resources Centre, CHU Reims and EA7510, SFR CAP-Santé, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, USC EpiToxo Anses, France
| | - Sandra Thoumire
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Maxime Delsart
- Anses, Ecole nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale USC EPIMAI, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Jean-Luc Martin
- IFIP - Institut du Porc, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Sandra Vuillermet
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Marieke Opsteegh
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Pikka Jokelainen
- Statens Serum Institut, Infectious Disease Preparedness, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Delphine Le Roux
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Pascal Boireau
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Isabelle Villena
- National Reference Centre on Toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma Biological Resources Centre, CHU Reims and EA7510, SFR CAP-Santé, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, USC EpiToxo Anses, France
| | - Radu Blaga
- Anses, INRAE, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
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3
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Wehbe K, Pencole L, Lhuaire M, Sibiude J, Mandelbrot L, Villena I, Picone O. Hygiene measures as primary prevention of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy: A systematic review. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod 2022; 51:102300. [PMID: 34979320 DOI: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2021.102300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Hygiene measures are recommended to prevent toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, although screening for seroconversion in pregnant women currently are debated and practices vary among countries. Objectives The purpose of this systematic literature review was to assess the effectiveness of hygiene measures during pregnancy to prevent toxoplasmosis infection. Search Strategy We followed the standard MOOSE and PRISMA criteria when conducting this systematic review and reporting the results. Selection criteria A systematic literature search was conducted for studies focused on congenital toxoplasmosis prevention, toxoplasmosis prevention during pregnancy, toxoplasmosis prevention and hygiene measures, which were published between 1970 and August 2020, using the databases of PubMed, Scope Med, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. Data collection and analysis Our literature search identified 3964 articles, 3757 were excluded after review of title or abstract and 67 studies were considered relevant to the subject. We reviewed risk factors for toxoplasmosis infection during pregnancy and for congenital toxoplasmosis, preventive measures for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, including: dietary recommendations, pet care measures, environmental measures, knowledge of risk factors and ways to control toxoplasmosis infection, knowledge of risk factors for infection by health professionals, knowledge of primary prevention measures by pregnant women. Conclusion: Hygiene measures are effective and applicable primary prevention to reduce toxoplasmosis and avoid congenital toxoplasmosis and its consequences. Funding No.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Wehbe
- Département de Gynécologie-Obstétrique Institut Mère Enfant Alix de Champagne, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU), Reims 51092, France
| | - Lucille Pencole
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Inserm IAME-U1137, FHU PREMA, Groupe de Recherche sur les Infections pendant la grossesse (GRIG), Hôpital Louis Mourier, Université de Paris, 178 rue des renouillets, Paris, Colombes 92700, France
| | - Martin Lhuaire
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Université de Paris, Paris, France; Department of Organogenesis and Anatomy, URDIA, EA4465, UFR Biomedical des Saints-Pères, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Jeanne Sibiude
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Inserm IAME-U1137, FHU PREMA, Groupe de Recherche sur les Infections pendant la grossesse (GRIG), Hôpital Louis Mourier, Université de Paris, 178 rue des renouillets, Paris, Colombes 92700, France
| | - Laurent Mandelbrot
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Inserm IAME-U1137, FHU PREMA, Groupe de Recherche sur les Infections pendant la grossesse (GRIG), Hôpital Louis Mourier, Université de Paris, 178 rue des renouillets, Paris, Colombes 92700, France
| | - Isabelle Villena
- EA7510 et Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Toxoplasma, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Université Reims Champagne Ardenne, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Reims, France
| | - Olivier Picone
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Inserm IAME-U1137, FHU PREMA, Groupe de Recherche sur les Infections pendant la grossesse (GRIG), Hôpital Louis Mourier, Université de Paris, 178 rue des renouillets, Paris, Colombes 92700, France.
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Papatsiros VG, Athanasiou LV, Kostoulas P, Giannakopoulos A, Tzika E, Billinis C. Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Swine: Implications for Public Health. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2021; 18:823-840. [PMID: 34491108 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2021.0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis, due to Toxoplasma gondii, is a parasitic disease with global importance. Among livestock, chronic T. gondii infection has been reported in higher rates in pigs and small ruminants, but with subclinical infections in case commonly encountered in pigs. Seroprevalence in the global pig population ranges according to the age or species of pigs, geographical distribution, production programs, and systems. Generally, T. gondii infections are noticed in low prevalence rates in conventional pig farms with high hygiene standards. In contrast, higher prevalence is common on free-ranging farms, outdoor or backyard small pig fams, as well as in farmed or hunted wild boars. The T. gondii average worldwide seroprevalence in pigs is reported to be 13% in Europe, 21% in Africa, 25% in North America, 21% in Asia, and 23% in South America. Human toxoplasmosis outbreaks have been correlated with the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, especially from infected pigs or wild boars, as well as of contaminated drinking water. The risk of infection in processed pork products is lower compared with fresh pork, as meat processing can reduce or inactivate T. gondii tissue cysts. Hence, the prevalence of T. gondii in the pig population may be a useful indicator of the risk of human toxoplasmosis associated with the consumption of pork products. The lack of obligatory screening methods at farm level for the detection of antibodies in farmed animals or the viable T. gondii in carcasses at slaughterhouse level increases the risk of contaminated pork or meat products. For this reason, the application of biosecurity and surveillance programs at farm level is very important to prevent a T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasileios G Papatsiros
- Clinic of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
| | - Labrini V Athanasiou
- Clinic of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
| | - Polychronis Kostoulas
- Laboratory of Epidemiology & Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Public Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
| | - Alexios Giannakopoulos
- Department of Microbiology & Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
| | - Eleni Tzika
- Farm Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Charalambos Billinis
- Department of Microbiology & Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece
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5
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Fredericks J, Hawkins-Cooper DS, Hill DE, Luchansky JB, Porto-Fett ACS, Shoyer BA, Fournet VM, Urban JF, Dubey JP. Inactivation of Toxoplasma gondii Bradyzoites after Salt Exposure during Preparation of Dry-Cured Hams. J Food Prot 2020; 83:1038-1042. [PMID: 32438394 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-19-461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Foodborne pathogens continue to pose a public health risk and can cause serious illness and significant outbreaks of disease in consumers. Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease that occurs worldwide and is caused by the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. The consumption of raw or undercooked infected meat, including pork, that contains infectious stages of T. gondii has been regarded as a major route of T. gondii transmission to humans. Given the occasional presence of T. gondii in pork meat, the frequent use of pork for products not intended to be cooked, such as dry-cured ham, presents a potential risk for its transmission to consumers. In this study, we investigated the viability of T. gondii in dry-cured whole hams processed using methods that were previously required for treatment of hams to inactivate Trichinella spiralis in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR 318.10) and are now described in guidance documents from the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service. Infected pork hams were salted and cured for 33 days at 3°C and 85% ± 5% relative humidity (RH) and then were dried for up to 12 months at 12°C and 67.5% ± 2.5% RH. Inactivation of T. gondii was assessed in mouse bioassays and, serologically, by the modified agglutination test (MAT). Results showed that T. gondii bradyzoites were inactivated during the salting and curing step (33 days); no viable T. gondii was detected in the mouse bioassay and no evidence of serological conversion was detected by MAT in any of the mice inoculated with any of the samples tested during the drying step over the 12 months of the experiment. These results demonstrated that the approved protocols for production of dry-cured hams validated herein can inactivate T. gondii and lower the risk to consumers of this product. HIGHLIGHTS
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorrell Fredericks
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, BARC-East, Buildings 1001 & 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
| | - Diane S Hawkins-Cooper
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, BARC-East, Buildings 1001 & 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
| | - Dolores E Hill
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, BARC-East, Buildings 1001 & 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
| | - John B Luchansky
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Food Safety and Intervention Technologies, Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038-8598 (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2377-8651 [J.B.L.]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2689-6402 [A.C.S.P.F])
| | - Anna C S Porto-Fett
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Food Safety and Intervention Technologies, Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038-8598 (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2377-8651 [J.B.L.]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2689-6402 [A.C.S.P.F])
| | - Brad A Shoyer
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Food Safety and Intervention Technologies, Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038-8598 (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2377-8651 [J.B.L.]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2689-6402 [A.C.S.P.F])
| | - Valsin M Fournet
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, BARC-East, Buildings 1001 & 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
| | - Joseph F Urban
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, BARC-East, Buildings 1001 & 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.,U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, BARC-East, Building 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA
| | - Jitender P Dubey
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, BARC-East, Buildings 1001 & 307-C, Beltsville, Maryland 20705
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Ranucci D, Battisti E, Veronesi F, Diaferia M, Morganti G, Branciari R, Ferroglio E, Valiani A, Chiesa F. Absence of Viable Toxoplasma gondii in Artisanal Raw-Milk Ewe Cheese Derived from Naturally Infected Animals. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E143. [PMID: 31968682 PMCID: PMC7023469 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8010143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of viable Toxoplasma gondii was investigated in artisanal cheeses made from milk of naturally infected ewes. Ewe milk was analyzed beforehand for the presence and vitality of T. gondii by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. Cheeses were prepared from raw milk following a traditional cheesemaking process. The cheese obtained from T. gondii-positive milk was analyzed by LAMP to detect Toxoplasma DNA-positive samples. RT-PCR was then carried out to assess the viability of the parasites in T. gondii-positive milk samples and fresh cheese, after 5 and 15 days of ripening. Physical-chemical parameters of cheeses were also investigated. All cheese samples derived from T. gondii-positive milk were positive according to LAMP, at both 5 and 15 days of ripening, while none of the samples were positive according to RT-PCR. Thus, while the presence of the parasite was demonstrated by the detection of specific DNA, the absence of detectable T. gondii RNA supports the hypothesis that changes in the chemical and physical characteristics occurring during the cheesemaking process and ripening period, could be sufficient to inactivate viable T. gondii in milk, minimizing the risk of human infection through consumption of raw sheep milk cheese.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Ranucci
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, San Costanzo Street 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (D.R.); (M.D.); (G.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Elena Battisti
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Paolo Braccini Square 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy; (E.B.); (E.F.); (F.C.)
| | - Fabrizia Veronesi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, San Costanzo Street 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (D.R.); (M.D.); (G.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Manuela Diaferia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, San Costanzo Street 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (D.R.); (M.D.); (G.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Giulia Morganti
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, San Costanzo Street 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (D.R.); (M.D.); (G.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Raffaella Branciari
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, San Costanzo Street 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (D.R.); (M.D.); (G.M.); (R.B.)
| | - Ezio Ferroglio
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Paolo Braccini Square 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy; (E.B.); (E.F.); (F.C.)
| | - Andrea Valiani
- Istituto Zooprofilattico dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, Salvemini Street 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy;
| | - Francesco Chiesa
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Paolo Braccini Square 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy; (E.B.); (E.F.); (F.C.)
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7
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Djurković-Djaković O, Dupouy-Camet J, Van der Giessen J, Dubey JP. Toxoplasmosis: Overview from a One Health perspective. Food Waterborne Parasitol 2019; 15:e00054. [PMID: 32095624 PMCID: PMC7034049 DOI: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is paradigmatic of the One Health approach, as the causative parasite Toxoplasma gondii infects virtually all warm-blooded animals, including humans. This makes T. gondii one of the most successful parasites on earth, infecting up to a third of the global human population. Moreover, the T. gondii disease burden has been ranked among the highest of all parasitic diseases. To reduce the disease burden of toxoplasmosis in humans, interventions are needed in the animal reservoirs, necessitating close collaboration between both the human and veterinary medical sectors. In the present special issue of FAWPAR, several of the most pertinent topics related to the impact and control of toxoplasmosis are addressed by leading experts in the field. This collection of papers highlights state-of-the-art knowledge, gaps in knowledge and future perspectives, as well as the benefits of current and proposed future activities to tackle toxoplasmosis within the One Health context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olgica Djurković-Djaković
- National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotica 4, P.O. Box 102, 11129 Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Joke Van der Giessen
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Jitender P. Dubey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705-2350, USA
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