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Toxoplasma gondii infection in pork produced in France

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2016

V. DJOKIC
Affiliation:
Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, ANSES, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France Institute for Medical Research, National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotića 4, P.O. Box 102, Belgrade 11129, Serbia
R. BLAGA
Affiliation:
Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, ANSES, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
D. AUBERT
Affiliation:
Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, SFR CAP-SANTE, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Toxoplasma, Hôpital Maison Blanche, Reims, France
B. DURAND
Affiliation:
ANSES, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, Epidemiology Unit, Maisons-Alfort, France
C. PERRET
Affiliation:
ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
R. GEERS
Affiliation:
Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, SFR CAP-SANTE, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Toxoplasma, Hôpital Maison Blanche, Reims, France
T. DUCRY
Affiliation:
ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
I. VALLEE
Affiliation:
ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
O. DJURKOVIC DJAKOVIC
Affiliation:
Institute for Medical Research, National Reference Laboratory for Toxoplasmosis, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotića 4, P.O. Box 102, Belgrade 11129, Serbia
A. MZABI
Affiliation:
Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, SFR CAP-SANTE, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Toxoplasma, Hôpital Maison Blanche, Reims, France
I. VILLENA
Affiliation:
Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, SFR CAP-SANTE, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Centre de Ressources Biologiques Toxoplasma, Hôpital Maison Blanche, Reims, France
P. BOIREAU*
Affiliation:
ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France
*
*Corresponding author: ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire de santé animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR BIPAR, Maisons-Alfort, France. E-mail: pascal.boireau@anses.fr

Summary

The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite in pork produced in France, and to determine infection risk factors. An innovative survey was designed based on annual numbers of slaughtered pigs from intensive and outdoor farms in France. A total of 1549 samples of cardiac fluids were collected from pig hearts to determine seroprevalence using a Modified Agglutination Test. Of those, 160 hearts were bio-assayed in mice to isolate live parasites. The overall seroprevalence among fattening pigs was 2·9%. The adjusted seroprevalence in pigs from intensive farms was 3·0%; the highest in sows (13·4%); 2·9% in fattening pigs and 2·6% in piglets. Adjusted seroprevalence in fattening animals from outdoor farms was 6·3%. Strains were isolated from 41 animals and all were genotyped by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism as type II. Risk-factor analysis showed that the risk of infection was more than three times higher for outdoor pigs, and that sows’ risk was almost five times higher than that of fattening animals. This study provides further evidence of extensive pork infection with T. gondii regardless of breeding systems, indicating that farm conditions are still insufficient to guarantee ‘Toxoplasma-free pork’.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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