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Helman E, Dellarupe A, Steffen KD, Bernstein M, Moré G. Morphological and molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. in pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) from Argentina. Parasitol Int 2024; 100:102859. [PMID: 38199523 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2024.102859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Sarcocystis spp. are intracellular protozoan parasites with an obligatory heteroxenous life cycle. The objective of this study was to identify Sarcocystis spp. in pig muscles from Argentina, by light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and molecular studies. Muscles samples from 561 pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) were classified according to the breeding system in: intensive farming (IF, n = 295; animals kept in confinement during most of their productive cycle), or semi-extensive farming (SEF, n = 266; animals bred outdoors, generally family or backyard production). Results showed that 24.8% (139/561) were positive by light microscopy, with a significantly higher prevalence in the SEF (34.6%; 92/266) than the IF pigs (15.9%; 47/295) (p < 0.05). Of the 202 samples analyzed by PCR, 96 were positive (47.5%) for the 18S rRNA (18S ribosomal RNA) fragment. All samples analyzed by the S. suihominis specific coxI (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) PCR (n = 235; 96 positives by 18S rRNA PCR and 139 positives by light microscopy) were negative. Fourteen individual cysts were positive for the 18S rRNA PCR and sequenced. Consensus sequences obtained from the 18S rRNA fragment PCR ranged from 613 to 880 bp and showed 100% of identity between them and with previously reported S. miescheriana sequences. In all the pig samples analyzed by TEM, cyst wall ultrastructure was compatible with S. miescheriana. This is the first study that provides infection rates and describes and identifies morphological and molecular features of Sarcocystis spp. cysts in pigs from Argentina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Helman
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Andrea Dellarupe
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), La Plata 1900, Argentina.
| | - Kevin Denis Steffen
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Mariana Bernstein
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Gastón Moré
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), La Plata 1900, Argentina; Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Langgasssstrasse 122, Bern 3012, Switzerland
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Rubiola S, Pasquariello L, Panebianco F, Capucchio MT, Colombino E, Bordese F, Giobbio E, Fioriello L, Braghin S, Korpysa-Dzirba W, Różycki M, Chiesa F. Macroscopic sarcocystosis in a pig carcass from an Italian abattoir. Vet Res Commun 2023; 47:2271-2277. [PMID: 37166530 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10137-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Different food-safety institutions, including the European Food Safety Authority, encourage monitoring and characterising Sarcocystis spp. in animals and foodstuffs; among meat-producing animals, domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) can host two different Sarcocystis spp., that is Sarcocystis miescheriana and the zoonotic Sarcocystis suihominis. Herein, we report for the first time the presence of macrocysts of Sarcocystis miescheriana in a domestic pig resulting in carcass condemnation. In North-West Italy, in June 2022 the carcass of a clinically healthy sow was condemned due to the detection of multifocal macroscopic whitish fusiform lesions. Affected muscle samples were submitted to histological and molecular analyses targeting the mtDNA cox1 and 18S rRNA genes. At gross examination and histology, well demarcated, oval or elongated macrocysts up to 8 mm in length characterized by a calcified central core surrounded by fibrosis were detected. The molecular amplification and sequencing of the cox1 mtDNA and 18S rRNA genes revealed the presence of Sarcocystis miescheriana DNA in all sampled macrocysts. Our study provides the first molecularly confirmed case of Sarcocystis miescheriana infection in a domestic pig in Italy. The present report highlights the need to increase data related to the occurrence and the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in meat-producing animals, and in wild and domestic pigs in particular, taking into account the zoonotic potential of Sarcocystis suihominis and the possible financial losses related to carcass discard due to macroscopic Sarcocystis spp. cysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selene Rubiola
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino, 10095, Italy.
| | - Linda Pasquariello
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino, 10095, Italy
| | - Felice Panebianco
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino, 10095, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Capucchio
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino, 10095, Italy
| | - Elena Colombino
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino, 10095, Italy
| | - Federica Bordese
- ASL Cuneo 1, Dipartimento di Prevenzione, S.C. Igiene degli Alimenti di Origine Animale, Cuneo, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Weronika Korpysa-Dzirba
- Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy, Pulawy, 24-100, Poland
| | - Mirosław Różycki
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Infectious Diseases, Poznań University of Life Science, Poznan, 60-637, Poland
| | - Francesco Chiesa
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino, 10095, Italy
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Helman E, Dellarupe A, Cifuentes S, Chang Reissig E, Moré G. Identification of Sarcocystis spp. in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from Argentina. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:471-478. [PMID: 36471091 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07743-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sarcocystis spp. are intracellular protozoan parasites with an obligatory heteroxenous life cycle. The objective of this study is to identify Sarcocystis spp. in wild boar muscles from Argentina by light and transmission electron microscopy and molecular characterization. Muscle samples from diaphragm, tongue, masseter, intercostals, heart, and forelimbs of 240 wild boars were analyzed. Of the animals, 48.3% (116/240) were positive for sarcocysts by light microscopy, whereas 45.8% (110/240) were positive for Sarcocystis spp. by PCR targeting 18S rRNA fragment. These samples were subjected to a specific PCR for S. suihominis coxI gene, 3.6% (4/110) of which were weak positives. Unfortunately, sequence analysis was inconclusive. This could be related to a potentially low S. suihominis cyst load in the samples, or to an incomplete primer matching with the South American S. suihominis sequences. Seventeen individual sarcocysts were positive by PCR for the 18S rRNA fragment, whose sequences showed 99.75-100% identity with each other and with previously reported S. miescheriana sequences. A total of 21 cysts collected from 11 muscle samples and analyzed by TEM presented a cyst wall type compatible with S. miescheriana, and one cyst presented an ultrastructure compatible with S. suihominis. The latter came from a sample that also contained S. miescheriana cysts, indicating that the animal was co-infected. This is the first study that provides infection rates and describes and identifies morphological and molecular features of Sarcocystis spp. cysts in wild boars from South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Helman
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), Calle 60 Y 118, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrea Dellarupe
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), Calle 60 Y 118, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sabrina Cifuentes
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Centro de Investigaciones Y Transferencia Río Negro (CONICET-UNRN), Viedma, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Elizabeth Chang Reissig
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Institute of Forest and Agriculture Research Bariloche (IFAB, INTA-CONICET), Agricultural Experimental Station of the National Institute of Agriculture and Technology (EEA-INTA Bariloche), 8400, San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Gastón Moré
- Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Laboratory of Immunoparasitology (LAINPA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata (FCV-UNLP), Calle 60 Y 118, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Prakas P, Kirillova V, Dzerkale A, Kirjušina M, Butkauskas D, Gavarāne I, Rudaitytė-Lukošienė E, Šulinskas G. First molecular characterization of Sarcocystis miescheriana in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from Latvia. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:3777-83. [PMID: 32929632 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06882-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Various muscle samples of wild boar (Sus scrofa) from Latvia were studied for the presence of Sarcocystis infection by means of morphological and molecular methods. Sarcocysts were detected in 122 out of 140 (87.1%) wild boar examined. According to the morphological appearance of sarcocysts, the observed cysts belonged to one morphological type and resembled Sarcocystis miescheriana. Twenty-three sarcocysts isolated from the muscles of Latvian wild boars were molecularly characterized at 18S rRNA, ITS1 and cox1. Additionally, eight sarcocysts obtained from Lithuanian wild boars were subjected to molecular analysis in order to compare intraspecific genetic variability. The amplified 18S rRNA region using newly designed primers is sufficiently variable to separate S. miecheriana from S. suihominis. All Latvian and Lithuanian isolates were confirmed belonging to S. miescheriana. No genetic variation was detected within 18S rRNA and ITS1. By contrast, the high intraspecific genetic variability of S. miescheriana was observed within cox1 since each newly obtained sequence represented a unique haplotype. The comparison made using S. miescheriana isolates from Italian and Japanese wild boar and Chinese domestic pig revealed the genetic similarity of the samples depending on their geographical distances. The current study provides the first detection of Sarcocystis infection in wild boars from Latvia and molecular characterization of S. miescheriana.
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Gazzonis AL, Gjerde B, Villa L, Minazzi S, Zanzani SA, Riccaboni P, Sironi G, Manfredi MT. Prevalence and molecular characterisation of Sarcocystis miescheriana and Sarcocystis suihominis in wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Italy. Parasitol Res 2019; 118:1271-1287. [PMID: 30788573 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06249-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A sample of the diaphragm was collected from each of 100 wild boars legally hunted in the Val Grande National Park in north-western Italy and examined for the presence of Sarcocystis infection by histological and molecular methods. In histological sections, thick-walled sarcocysts consistent with those of Sarcocystis miescheriana were detected in 32 wild boars. Genomic DNA extracted from diaphragm samples was initially subjected to PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region, and 97 wild boars were found to harbour a Sarcocystis infection at this screening. Selected DNA samples were then subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing of the ITS1 region and the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes of the nuclear ribosomal DNA unit, while all positive samples were subjected to PCR amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene. S. miescheriana was identified in 97 wild boars (97%), while the zoonotic Sarcocystis suihominis was identified in one wild boar (1%), which also harboured S. miescheriana. Intra-specific sequence variation was found in all four DNA regions of S. miescheriana examined and in the 18S rRNA gene and ITS1 region of S. suihominis. The partial cox1 gene was amplified and sequenced from 72 isolates of S. miescheriana, yielding 43 haplotypes with pairwise sequence identities of 97.6-99.9%. These haplotypes were 79.1-79.8% identical with the cox1 sequence of S. suihominis. Phylogeny based on cox1 sequences placed S. miescheriana and S. suihominis as sister species within a clade comprising mainly Sarcocystis spp. of ruminants with felids as known or presumed definitive hosts. The same was true for the phylogeny based on 18S rRNA gene sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Libera Gazzonis
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Bjørn Gjerde
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P. O. Box 369, Sentrum, 0102, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Luca Villa
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Minazzi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Sergio Aurelio Zanzani
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Riccaboni
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Sironi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Manfredi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
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Calero-Bernal R, Pérez-Martín JE, Reina D, Serrano FJ, Frontera E, Fuentes I, Dubey JP. Detection of Zoonotic Protozoa Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis suihominis in Wild Boars from Spain. Zoonoses Public Health 2015; 63:346-50. [PMID: 26604045 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Food safety regulations require the control of the presence of protozoa in meats destined for human consumption. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) meat may constitute a source of zoonoses. A 23.8% (688/2881) seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and 72.2% (662/910) Sarcocystis sarcocysts prevalence were detected among wild boars hunted in Southwestern areas of Spain. Identity of Sarcocystis spp. was performed by RFLP-PCR and sequencing, detecting S. miescheriana (7/8) and the zoonotic S. suihominis (1/8). Risk assessment studies of these coccidian in meats destined to human consumption are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Calero-Bernal
- Area of Parasitology, Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.,United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA
| | - J E Pérez-Martín
- Area of Parasitology, Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - D Reina
- Area of Parasitology, Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - F J Serrano
- Area of Parasitology, Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - E Frontera
- Area of Parasitology, Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - I Fuentes
- Parasitology Service, Microbiology National Centre, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - J P Dubey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA
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Coelho C, Gomes J, Inácio J, Amaro A, Mesquita JR, Pires I, Lopes AP, Vieira-Pinto M. Unraveling Sarcocystis miescheriana and Sarcocystis suihominis infections in wild boar. Vet Parasitol 2015; 212:100-4. [PMID: 26319199 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Revised: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Sarcocystis species are worldwide spread cyst-forming protozoa that can infect wild boar but little is known about the prevalence of these parasites. In this study we assessed the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. infections in wild boars from northeastern Portugal, for which novel PCR testing assays targeting Sarcocystis genus, S. miescheriana and S. suihominis were implemented, and risk factors potentially associated with these infections were evaluated. Samples from muscle tissue, namely diaphragm (n=102), oesophagus (n=96) and heart (n=101), were collected from a total of 103 wild boar hunted between October 2011 and February 2012. Diaphragm muscle was used for the PCR detection of Sarcocystis nucleic acids since a higher proportion of samples showed the presence of cysts during histological examination. PCR assay targeting Sarcocystis genus yielded a 73.8% infection rate, which indicate a high level of exposure to these protozoan parasites among wild boars. These samples showed to be positive with the S. miescheriana-specific PCR assay and no sample was positive with the S. suihominis-specific assay, suggesting that a single species infecting wild boar is circulating in Portugal. These results were confirmed by the partial sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene amplified from selected samples from different geographic regions. Adults, young adults and female wild boars were found to be more likely infected. Hunters have an important role in the life cycle of S. miescheriana since potentially infected viscera and carcasses can be left behind promoting the protozoan dissemination to the scavenging final hosts. If hunting dogs bite and ingest infected meat they can perpetuate the life cycle of Sarcocystis spp. spreading oocysts or sporocysts in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Coelho
- Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu-Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal; Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Jacinto Gomes
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária IP, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - João Inácio
- Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Microbiologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal; School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Amaro
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária IP, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Rodrigo Mesquita
- Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu-Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal; CIBIO/UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos/Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Isabel Pires
- Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Lopes
- Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Madalena Vieira-Pinto
- Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária (CECAV), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
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