Research Publications (Food Safety)

Author(s): Jamal Gharekhani, Mohammad Yakhchali, Asghar Afshari, Maryam Adabi

Author(s): Bruno Montijo Silva, Willian Cristof Correia Queiroz, Maerle Oliveira Maia, Richard de Campos Pacheco, Daniel Moura Aguiar, Maíza Souza Campos, Katia Denise Saraiva Bresciani, Alvimar José Costa, Ana Amélia Domingues Gomes, Thais Rabelo Santos-Doni

Author(s): Ana Flávia Minutti, Fernando Emmanuel Gonçalves Vieira, João Pedro Sasse, Thais Agostinho Martins, Mércia de Seixas, Sérgio Tosi Cardim, Luiz Daniel de Barros, João Luis Garcia

Author(s): S.I. Bata, B.V. Maikai, J.K.P. Kwaga, O.O. Okubanjo, L. Pam, Y. Wungak, J. Kamani, S. Makama, K. Ogbu, M. Dike, C.S. Ringyl, C. Elisha

Author(s): Britta Beck, Thomas Grochow, Gereon Schares, Radu Blaga, Delphine Le Roux, Berit Bangoura, Arwid Daugschies, Simone A. Fietz

Toxoplasma gondii , hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Salmonella are zoonotic foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked pork.  The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii , anti-HEV and anti- Salmonella antibodies from healthy pigs at slaughter in Switzerland.

Author(s): Razieh Fazel, Hassan Rezanezhad, Kavous Solhjoo, Mohsen Kalantari, Saiedeh Erfanian, Belal Armand, Masoud Esmi Jahromi

Objective
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that is widely prevalent in most warm-blooded vertebrates. Humans mainly become infected by eating raw or undercooked meat. This study was designed to investigate the infection of cattle with T. gondii in Jahrom, southern Iran.

Background During 2017, in response to a physician’s report, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health, began investigating an outbreak of febrile illness among attendees of a retreat where never frozen, intentionally undercooked, locally harvested venison was served. Preliminary testing tentatively identified the illness as toxoplasmosis.

Meat-borne parasitic zoonoses are generally not well-monitored, and so understanding extent and overall prevalence is problematic. Without sufficient attention, their prevalence can become unexpectedly and unacceptably high. This review sheds light on meat-borne parasites in the Arab world, which includes all the Arab countries situated in the continents of Asia and Africa, with more than 400 million inhabitants distributed in 22 countries.

by Joa Braïthe Mangombi, Nadine N’dilimabaka, Jean-Bernard Lekana-Douki, Octavie Banga, Sydney Maghendji-Nzondo, Mathieu Bourgarel, Eric Leroy, Florence Fenollar, Oleg Mediannikov

Zoonoses and Public Health, EarlyView. The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii exposure in Inuit living in Nunavut (20%) is twice that of the US (11%); however, routes of exposure for Inuit communities in North America are unclear. Exposure to T. gondii in humans has been linked with consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish that can accumulate environmentally resistant oocysts.

The small intestinal epithelium is the primary route of infection for many protozoan parasites. Understanding the mechanisms of infection, however, has been hindered due to the lack of appropriate models that recapitulate the complexity of the intestinal epithelium. Here, we describe an in vitro platform using stem cell-derived intestinal organoids established for four species that are important hosts of Apicomplexa and other protozoa in a zoonotic context: human, mouse, pig and chicken.

Author(s): Wei Cong, Man-Yao Li, Yang Zou, Jun-Yang Ma, Bo Wang, Zhao-Yang Jiang, Hany M. Elsheikha

Neospora caninum is a protozoan that can cause reproductive problems in several animal species. Although N. caninum infection has been reported in swine, the pathogenesis and clinical signs are not fully known in this species. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of experimental infection with tachyzoites of the N. caninum strain Nc1 in swine matrices at different stages of gestation. For that purpose, 12 gilts, seronegative for N.

Author(s): Surabhi Rani, Abani K. Pradhan

Author(s): Carlos Alonso Flores, Juan Jimenez, Luis A. Gomez-Puerta, Claudia Palacios, Seth E. O'Neal, Claudio Muro, Armando E. Gonzalez, Robert H. Gilman, Maritza Calderón

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic protozoan that infects most species of mammals and birds, including poultry. This study aimed to investigate the course of T. gondii infection and the efficacy of diclazuril and Artemisia annua in preventing infection in experimentally infected chickens.

This study aimed to genetically characterize Toxoplasma gondii isolates obtained from free-range chickens reared in the metropolitan region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to evaluate the morbidity and histological changes associated with these isolates in mice. A mouse bioassay was used to isolate T. gondii from a pool of tissue samples (brain, heart, and thigh muscles) collected from 163 chickens.

Background Horizontal transmission of Toxoplasma gondii occurs primarily via ingestion of environmental oocysts or consumption of undercooked/raw meat containing cyst-stage bradyzoites. The relative importance of these 2 transmission routes remains unclear. Oocyst infection can be distinguished from bradyzoite infection by identification of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against T. gondii embryogenesis-related protein (TgERP).

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan with worldwide distribution that infects birds and mammals, including humans. The consumption of free-range chicken meat is a common practice in many parts of the world. However, little information is available concerning the molecular prevalence and genotypes of T. gondii infection in free-range chickens intended for human consumption in China.

Toxoplasma gondii secretes a number of virulence-related effector proteins, such as the rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18). To further broaden our understanding of the molecular functions of ROP18, we examined the transcriptional response of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) to ROP18 of type I T. gondii RH strain. Using RNA-sequencing, we compared the transcriptome of ROP18-expressing HEK293T cells to control HEK293T cells.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease affecting human, livestock and cat. Prophylactic strategies would be ideal to prevent infection. In a One Health vaccination approach, the objectives would be the prevention of congenital disease in both women and livestock, prevention/reduction of T. gondii tissue cysts in food-producing animals; and oocyst shedding in cats.

Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed protozoan that mainly causes health issues in the fetuses of pregnant women who have never been exposed to this parasite and patients with deficient immune systems. Except in these vulnerable populations, the primary infection generally goes unnoticed in most healthy individuals.

Toxoplasma gondii may cause fatal infection in European brown hares (Lepus europaeus). However, the role of this parasite in terms of mortality rate in tularemia endemic areas, amount of parasites in affected organs and circulating genotypes, are still unknown. In total, 36 hares (killed or found dead) were submitted for pathomorphological examination as a part of the national tularemia and brucellosis monitoring.

The objective of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to summarize the available knowledge on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Europe. A computerized literature search of electronic databases (PubMed and CAB abstracts) was performed along with hand searches of library resources for relevant papers, books, abstracts and conference proceedings.