Detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis tenella in indigenous Cornigliese sheep in Italy using serological and molecular methods

A Systematic Meta-Analysis of Global Sarcocystis Infection in Sheep and Goats

Sarcocystosis is an intracellular parasitic disease caused by Sarcocystis spp. that has a worldwide prevalence. Symptoms of the disease include diarrhea and muscle pain. The disease poses a threat to the health of animals. The aim of this review is to investigate the global prevalence of Sarcocystis infection in sheep and goats during 2013-2022. We searched five databases: Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. A total of 36 articles containing 44 datasets met the criteria and were included in the study. The total infection rates of Sarcocystis in sheep and goats were 66.3% (95% CI, 51.79-79.38%) and 52.1% (95% CI, 29.45-74.23%), respectively. It was found that Sarcocystis species tend to have a host species preference. Coinfection of S. tenella and S. arieticanis often occurred in sheep, and goats were frequently infected with S. capracanis. Age and sex were identified as risk factors for Sarcocystis infection in sheep and goats. The infection rates of female and male animals were significantly different, with females having a higher infection rate. Age-adjusted analysis showed that infection rates in animals older than one year were higher than in animals younger than one year. This study unveiled the global distribution of Sarcocystis and sheds light on its transmission in sheep and goats.

A survey on Apicomplexa protozoa in sheep slaughtered for human consumption

Infections with the Apicomplexa Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, and Sarcocystis spp. are common causes of reproductive disorders in sheep. However, few epidemiological studies regarding co-infections with these three protozoa are reported in sheep in Italy. For this reason, this study aims to evaluate possible co-infections with T. gondii, N. caninum, and Sarcocystis spp. in sheep slaughtered for human consumption. From April to July 2019, individual blood, brain, heart, and diaphragm samples were collected from 138 sheep after slaughtering. The presence of IgG anti-Toxoplasma in serum samples was evaluated through ELISA. DNA of the three protozoa was investigated using specific PCRs. Co-infection with T. gondii, N. caninum and Sarcocystis spp. was found in 66.7% of the examined sheep. Antibodies against T. gondii were found in the 36.2% of serum samples. The presence of T. gondii DNA was detected in the 67.4%, 77.5%, and 21.7% of the brain, heart, and diaphragm samples, respectively. Neospora caninum DNA was found in 72.5% of the examined brain samples. Sarcocystis spp. DNA was detected in 92% and 52.2% of the heart and diaphragm samples, respectively. Sequence analysis of the Sarcocystis spp. revealed the sole presence of Sarcocystis tenella. The present study demonstrates that sheep have a high risk of infection with the three Apicomplexa investigated, suggesting the need to adopt adequate measures to prevent the spread of these parasitic infections considering their clinical and economic impact on ovine production. Furthermore, the possible role sheep play in the zoonotic transmission of toxoplasmosis to humans was highlighted.

The European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2016

This report of the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of the zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2016 in 37 European countries (28 Member States (MS) and nine non-MS). Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis and the increasing European Union (EU) trend for confirmed human cases since 2008 stabilised during 2012-2016. In food, the occurrence of Campylobacter remained high in broiler meat. The decreasing EU trend for confirmed human salmonellosis cases since 2008 ended during 2012-2016, and the proportion of human Salmonella Enteritidis cases increased. Most MS met their Salmonella reduction targets for poultry, except five MS for laying hens. At primary production level, the EU-level flock prevalence of target Salmonella serovars in breeding hens, broilers, breeding and fattening turkeys decreased or stabilised compared with previous years but the EU prevalence of S. Enteritidis in laying hens significantly increased. In foodstuffs, the EU-level Salmonella non-compliance for minced meat and meat preparations from poultry was low. The number of human listeriosis confirmed cases further increased in 2016, despite the fact that Listeria seldom exceeds the EU food safety limit in ready-to-eat foods. The decreasing EU trend for confirmed yersiniosis cases since 2008 stabilised during 2012-2016, and also the number of confirmed Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections in humans was stable. In total, 4,786 food-borne outbreaks, including waterborne outbreaks, were reported. Salmonella was the most commonly detected causative agent - with one out of six outbreaks due to S. Enteritidis - followed by other bacteria, bacterial toxins and viruses. Salmonella in eggs continued to represent the highest risk agent/food combination. The report further summarises trends and sources for bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, trichinellosis, echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, rabies, Q fever, West Nile fever and tularaemia.