Volume 212, Issues 3–4, 15 September 2015, Pages 393–395
Highlights
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- The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii was investigated in horses slaughtered in the North of Romania, for export and human consumption.
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- Seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was tested by ELISA and MAT.
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- By bioassay, viable infections with T. gondii were obtained from two horses.
Abstract
The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii,
an economically important zoonotic protozoan, was investigated in
horses slaughtered for export and human consumption in the North of
Romania. Pairs of samples, sera and heart tissues, were collected from
82 slaughtered horses. Examination of horse sera by ELISA at a dilution
of 1:10, and by modified agglutination test (MAT) at a dilution of 1:6,
revealed that 32 (39%) and 31(37.8%) horses, respectively, had
antibodies against T. gondii. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, T. gondii DNA was not found in any heart sample collected from horses. By bioassay in mice, we obtained viable isolates of T. gondii
from two of ten horses determined to be strongly positive by
serological assay/ELISA. The prevalence estimated in horses highlighted
the potential risk for human contamination by consumption of raw or
undercooked meat.
Keywords
- Toxoplasma gondii;
- Horses;
- Romania;
- Seroprevalence;
- Bioassay
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
